[The full quote: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. It is sweet and proper to die for one's country.]
Stand straight, shoulders back, chin up, feet together. Posture is the beginning of power.
An officer's face must stay expressionless no matter how dire the circumstances, whether in tempest, retreat, or certain death. If he keeps his composure in victory, he will keep it in sorrow. The captain understands this; he sees the spark of brilliance in the boy. Control must be learned early in life.
Mr. Hornblower's lips hardly twitch when the captain kneels before him in the dogwatch. He makes no sound, however young and eager he is, when passion takes him. He is beginning to learn restraint.
<< Back to Bookfic
<< Back to Main