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View Full Version : 10 of the Best Quotes from Chris Kyle's book "American Sniper"



MBtech
03-13-15, 20:31
10. “To top things off, the Iraqis had sent some Scuds over just before the war started. Most had been taken care of by Patriot missiles, but one got through. Wouldn’t you know it took out the Starbucks where we’d hung out during our prewar training? That’s low, hitting a coffee place. It could have been worse, I guess. It could have been a Dunkin’ Donuts.”

9. “Isn’t religion supposed to teach tolerance?”

8. “At another location, we found barrels of chemical material that was intended for use as biochemical weapons. Everyone talks about there being no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but they seem to be referring to completed nuclear bombs, not the many deadly chemical weapons or precursors that Saddam had stockpiled.”


7. “I began teaching my son how to shoot when he was two, starting with the basics of a BB rifle. My theory is that kids get into trouble because of curiosity—if you don’t satisfy it, you’re asking for big problems. If you inform them and carefully instruct them on safety when they’re young, you avoid a lot of the trouble. My son has learned to respect weapons. I’ve always told him, if you want to use a gun, come get me. There’s nothing I like better than shooting.”

6. “The rules are drawn up by lawyers who are trying to protect the admirals and generals from the politicians; they’re not written by people who are worried about the guys on the ground getting shot.”

5. “I never really believed the Iraqis would turn the country into a truly functioning democracy, but I thought at one point that there was a chance. I don’t know that I believe that now. It’s a pretty corrupt place. But I didn’t risk my life to bring democracy to Iraq. I risked my life for my buddies, to protect my friends and fellow countrymen. I went to war for my country, not Iraq. My country sent me out there so that bullshit wouldn’t make its way back to our shores. I never once fought for the Iraqis. I could give a flying [fu**] about them.”

4. “People tell me I saved hundreds and hundreds of people. But I have to tell you: it’s not the people you saved that you remember. It’s the ones you couldn’t save. Those are the ones you talk about. Those are the faces and situations that stay with you forever.”

3. “Another question people ask a lot: Did it bother you killing so many people in Iraq? I tell them, “No.” And I mean it. The first time you shoot someone, you get a little nervous. You think, can I really shoot this guy? Is it really okay? But after you kill your enemy, you see it’s okay. You say, Great. You do it again. And again. You do it so the enemy won’t kill you or your countrymen. You do it until there’s no one left for you to kill. That’s what war is.”

2. “Just because war is hell doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun.”

1. “I’ve lived the literal meaning of the ‘land of the free’ and ‘home of the brave.’ It’s not corny for me. I feel it in my heart. I feel it in my chest. Even at a ball game, when someone talks during the anthem or doesn’t take off his hat, it pisses me off. I’m not one to be quiet about it, either.”

Zane1844
03-13-15, 21:07
The best was when he said he was the guy in the ATM giving you the money.

And that he was a dolphin waxer.

I never laughed so hard from a book.

sevenhelmet
03-13-15, 21:12
I enjoyed the book even more than the movie. I like his thoughts on the ROE as well- it echoes the thoughts of me everyone else I knew when I was over there in 2011. I was surprised he didn't talk more about his longest shot though- it's almost mentioned in passing. Shows how much he didn't like to brag though, which is a sign of his character.

I would not have wanted to be the guy who didn't take his hat off at the game when Chris was around.

RIP, Chris Kyle. I think you would have been a great guy to know.

MBtech
03-13-15, 21:21
Yea I don't think he really cared about how long a shot was or setting a record to brag about. He was just doing his job, very humble indeed.

MBtech
03-13-15, 21:31
The best was when he said he was the guy in the ATM giving you the money.

And that he was a dolphin waxer.

I never laughed so hard from a book.

Dolphin waxer is pretty damn good, their skin will disintegrate if they are not waxed in captivity :)

SteyrAUG
03-14-15, 01:28
RIP, Chris Kyle. I think you would have been a great guy to know.

I just finished his book.

We always seem to lose the best people. Obama, Holder and Kerry will likely live into their early hundreds.

For me the best quote was "Helping each other out - That's American." Pg. 372

For me that should be how he is defined, that is how he died. Not marching and carrying a sign for some cause or protest and feeling like he changed the world, but actually doing something, actually making contact with people who needed help and helping them. That is a lot harder than chanting an obnoxious slogan for the media.

His death was in one way a tragedy, but objectively it was also a perfect death. He died doing something he felt was incredibly important, that fact that he tried to help the wrong person is almost irrelevant. How many of us can hope to die knowing we were actually making a difference. That we weren't simply talking about helping people...but actually doing it.

MBtech
03-14-15, 09:43
For me the best quote was "Helping each other out - That's American." . How many of us can hope to die knowing we were actually making a difference. That we weren't simply talking about helping people...but actually doing it.

Very good point, and the world simply would be a better place if more people looked at it that way.