"A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only in self defense. All that is human in him, all that is divine in him, all that constitutes the man has been sworn away when he took the enlistment roll. His mind, his conscience, aye, his very soul, are in the keeping of his officer. No man can fall lower than a soldier-it is a depth beneath which we cannot go"
About this Quote
The subtext is about modern systems more than individual character. “Sworn away” and “keeping of his officer” frame enlistment as a transaction: you sign, you surrender your inner life, and in exchange you become a tool. That’s why “machine” matters. London is writing in an era when industrialization made mass production feel like destiny; he’s arguing that armies are the darkest factory line, mass-producing obedience and calling it virtue.
Context sharpens the provocation. London, a socialist and public critic of imperial adventures, is pushing back against turn-of-the-century militarism and the sentimental pageantry that sold it. The rhetoric is intentionally absolutist because moderation would let the reader wriggle out: “some soldiers,” “some wars.” He wants no exits. The final line isn’t just condemnation; it’s a dare aimed at a culture that treats surrendering conscience as honorable.
Quote Details
| Topic | Military & Soldier |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
London, Jack. (2026, January 15). A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only in self defense. All that is human in him, all that is divine in him, all that constitutes the man has been sworn away when he took the enlistment roll. His mind, his conscience, aye, his very soul, are in the keeping of his officer. No man can fall lower than a soldier-it is a depth beneath which we cannot go. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-173109/
Chicago Style
London, Jack. "A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only in self defense. All that is human in him, all that is divine in him, all that constitutes the man has been sworn away when he took the enlistment roll. His mind, his conscience, aye, his very soul, are in the keeping of his officer. No man can fall lower than a soldier-it is a depth beneath which we cannot go." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-173109/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only in self defense. All that is human in him, all that is divine in him, all that constitutes the man has been sworn away when he took the enlistment roll. His mind, his conscience, aye, his very soul, are in the keeping of his officer. No man can fall lower than a soldier-it is a depth beneath which we cannot go." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-173109/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
