J. G. Ballard Quotes

The last thing my father told me was: 'On your way up, take me up. On your way down, don't let me down.' A father telling his son that puts some responsibility on my shoulders. He told me that, and I take it very seriously.

Looking back, I think we were all quite mature, surprisingly responsible. In earlier wars, boys of our age had just gone off to raise hell or enlist or both, but we stayed dutifully at our desks doing tomorrow's homework.

My father instilled in me to take care of my family. Show up even when you don't want to show up.

The only reason I am living with my shame is to protect the Emperor from all responsibility.

How easily I could get rid of this and be at rest. I have only to ride along the lines and all will be over. But, it is our duty to live, for what will become of the women and children of the South if we are not here to support and protect them?'

I don't feel like I owe anybody other than my child and my family anything.

I've got to do what I've got to do, for me, my family and my kids.

Far rather would I sit and sew beside my poor mother, for this thing is not of my condition. But I must go, and I must do this thing, because my Lord will have it so. Rather now than tomorrow, and tomorrow than the day after!

That was the one thing I had going for me. Taking care of your family.

With this honor devolves upon you also a corresponding responsibility. As the country herein trusts you, so under God it will sustain you.

Thank God I have done my duty.

I want people to think about everyone in their life, and their responsibilities to their friends, their families and their country.

While their service is ending, our responsibility is just beginning!

Every mission constitutes a pledge of duty. Every man is bound to consecrate his every faculty to its fulfilment. He will derive his rule of action from the profound conviction of that duty.

It's your duty to fly the airplane. If you get killed in it, you don't know anything about it anyway. Duty is paramount. It's that simple if you're a military guy. You don't say 'I'm not going to do that - that's dangerous.' If it's your duty to do it, that's the way it is.

I feel like if I am physically and emotionally able to be at the theater, I will be there. I don't like not being there - I don't like playing hooky. I am just one of those people who feels really, really guilty if I am not there - maybe it's part of being Catholic.

He who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and will find the flaw when he may have forgotten its cause.

The way I see it, when you put the uniform on, in effect you sign a contract. And you don't back out of a contract merely because you've changed your mind. You can still speak up for your principles, you can still argue against the ones you're being made to fight for, but in the end you do the job.

I have to do my duty, whatever task is allotted to me.

But obligation, I eventually saw, is not the same as commitment, and it's certainly not an acceptable reason to stick with something that isn't working

Who would you die for? Who would you wake up at five forty-five in the morning for even though you don't even know why he needs you?

War is only a sort of dramatic representation, a sort of dramatic symbol of a thousand forms of duty. I fancy that it is just as hard to do your duty when men are sneering at you as when they are shooting at you.

A man's got to take care of his family. You live in my house, you sleep your behind on my bedclothes, you put my food in your belly because you are my son; you are my flesh and blood, not because I like you. It is my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you.

If the exigencies of my country demand a peculiar service, its claims to perform that service are imperious.

Discipline says, 'I need to.' Duty says, 'I ought to.' Devotion says, 'I want to.'