The soldier is on friendlier terms than other men with his stomach and intestines. Three-quarters of his vocabulary is derived from these regions, and they give an intimate flavor to expressions of his greatest joy as well as his deepest indignation. (Chapter 1)

Our early life is cut off from the moment we came here, and that without our lifting a hand. We often try to look back on it and to find an explanation, but we never quite succeed. (Chapter 2)

In himself man is essentially a beast, only he butters it over like a slice of bread with a little decorum. (Chapter 3)

To me the front is a mysterious whirlpool. Though I am in still water far away from its center, I feel the whirl of the vortex sucking me slowly, irresistibly, inescapably into itself. (Chapter 4)

Mist and the smoke of guns lie breast-high over the fields. The moon is shining. Along the road... (Chapter 4)