Cadet Quotes

“I internalize a lot of thoughts, and sometimes it seems like I'm not listening or totally zoned out, but I'm always on a loop of ideas and song titles. I'm definitely kind of a space cadet, but I'm very laid back.”

“There's no doubt West Point impacted who I am... It has an enormous emphasis, not only on military aspects, but character development. Whether it's the honor code, or the interactions you have, both with the cadet leadership and the academy leadership, every place you are is a character test.”

“And suddenly I know I have to go. But this time without being chased by the Brigadier, without experiencing the kindness of a postman from Yass, and without taking along a Cadet who will change the way I breath for the rest of my life.”

“This is the best night of my life," Raffy says, crying."Raffy, half our House has burnt down," I say wearily. "We don't have a kitchen.""Why do you always have to be so pessimistic?" she asks. "We can double up in our rooms and have a barbecue every night like the Cadets."Silently I vow to keep Raffy around for the rest of my life.”

“Osaka: Ah always wanted to go to the ocean and rifd a dolphin.Sakaki: ...That would be nice.Osaka: Ah know, right?(Osaka and Sakaki stare at the ocean lost in thought; Sakaki imagining riding a dolphin).Yomi: Look at you two space cadets. What's going on?Osaka: We was thinkin' 'bout 'Roids.Sakaki: Eh... No... =,o”

“To make matters worse, Jackson placed great value on regurgitating every last detail of the assigned texts. When, in response to Jackson's question 'What are the three simple machines?' a cadet answered, 'The inclined plane, the lever, and the wheel,' Jackson replied, 'No, sir. The lever, the wheel, and the inclined plane.”

“Either greed belongs in a war zone, or it doesn't. You can't unleash it in the name of sparking an economic boom and then be shocked when Halliburton overcharges for everything from towels to gas, when Parsons' sub, sub, sub-contractor builds a police academy where the pipes drip raw sewage on the heads of army cadets and where Blackwater investigates itself and finds it acted honorably. That's just corporations doing what they do and Iraq is a privatized war zone so that's what you get. Build a frontier, you get cowboys and robber barons.”

“A life path may change because of important decisions or events. Those were what drove my current path.But sometimes the smallest event can also drive a turn. In the case of Eli Vanto, that force was a single, overheard word.Chiss. Where had Cadet Vanto heard that name? What did it mean to him? He had already spoken one reason, but there might well be others. Indeed, the full truth might have several layers. But what were they?On a ship as large as this, there was only one practical way to find out.Thus did my path take yet another turn. As, certainly, did his.”

“War is a primarily a game of skill. It is a Contest of mind matched against mind, tactics matched against tactics.But there is also an element of chance that is more suited to games of cards or dice. A wise tactician studies those games, as well, and learns from them.The first lesson of card games is that the cards cannot be played in random order. Only when laid down properly can victory be achieved. In this case, there were but three cards.The first was played at the encampment. The result was entrance to the Strikefast. The second was played aboard ship. The result was promise of passage to Coruscant, and the assignment of Cadet Vanto as my translator.The third was a name: Anakin Skywalker.”