I recently saw this quote on the back of a guy's t-shirt... it indicated that it was a Marines quote:
"Pain is weakness leaving the body." - The Marines
My experience has always been that pain is agony ENTERING the body...
Anyway, so I was wondering what the secret meaning was behind those words... if anyone knows. Thanks.
2007-10-05 13:46:25 · 15 answers · asked by scruffycat 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Ooooooh. So it is along the lines of "That which does not kill us makes us stronger"?
2007-10-05 14:01:00 · update #1
Ah... so, it's not that physical pain that equals weakness leaving... but withstanding the mental stress of physical pain... pushing on DESPITE the pain... THAT's the weakness leaving the body.. Is that right?
2007-10-06 01:41:16 · update #2
When you work through the pain you leave the weakness behind. Strength is all that will survive the pain.
For example if you develop a cramp while running you have two choices. You can quit or you can demand that your body continue to work until the crap passes. The quitter will remain in the area of weakness, they will not know the feeling of strength you realize after you have achieved something despite the pain.
You have to understand, Marines are a funny bunch. I mean "funny" peculiar not "funny" ha! ha!. When a normal person finds themselves surrounded a Marine will realize s/he has been blessed by being placed in a "target rich environment".
Marine Basic will break a person down to the sub-atomic level. Then they are rebuilt into a member of the Corp. The end of Basic is a little outing known as the "Crucible". If you complete that little outing you will be called a Marine for the very first time. Men have cried at that moment.
I hope that answered your question. I thought a few words about the men and women who would wear a shirt with that quote might help you understand that it means more than a person with a normal vocabulary can express...
Cheers
2007-10-05 14:15:52 · answer #1 · answered by gimpalomg 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It's civilian corollary is, "No pain, no gain."
It's not any macho thing. It has nothing to do with masculinity... there are women in the Marines too.
Nothing secret about it. I coached swimming and trained with a few troops, and it's true in both contexts. If you work hard, you can feel pain. If you work hard you get stronger (weakness leaving the body). If you don't work through your threshold of pain--at least initially, you can't improve. Anybody who has ever worked out with the goal of physical fitness, knows that.
One also needs to understand that it doesn't mean inflict unnecessary pain on oneself. But people who are trained properly can continue to function long after others would have quit.
2007-10-05 14:00:17 · answer #2 · answered by gugliamo00 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You know when you work out, and your muscles get sore. That's what it means. A lot of special forces use that slogan. The more pain you feel in training and exercising, the stronger you get.
Personally I prefer the slogan "The only easy day was yesterday." or "It pays to be a winner, sucks to be a looser!" Oh yeah - "Hell is a cold, cold place!" I always hated hearing that one too.
2007-10-05 14:15:43 · answer #3 · answered by Kicking Bear 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the Marine Corps, everyone at the basic level is Infantry, regardless of your MOS. With that said, you may have to prepare yourself for a certain amount of pain, inconvenience, and discomfort. The "pain" you speak of is what we in the Marines call "training" so you can be best prepared for any and all scenarios that come up. Hope that helps, and yes, it is like the "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" quote!
2007-10-05 21:24:40 · answer #4 · answered by LadyLeatherneck 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's about making yourself stronger. Some fear pain because they think everytime they feel pain, something enters their body. That means they avoid it.
Marines are strong and don't fear pain, the quote means weakness is leaving, so to be powerful you must feel pain. It's not something to be feared- it means you are becoming stronger.
2007-10-05 13:50:08 · answer #5 · answered by Lynn A 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"What does not kill you only postpones the inevitable"
There's a quote for ya.
The marines core beliefs follows that pain only makes you stronger. Since nothing worthwhile comes easy
2007-10-05 14:20:24 · answer #6 · answered by lord_duckie 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Along the lines of " No pain, no gain". To become strong, you have to suffer the pain of building the strength. Hence the pain you feel is weakness leaving your body as you make yourself stronger.
2007-10-05 13:50:12 · answer #7 · answered by booman17 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Besides being silly and excessive, it is related to "No pain, no gain" that is if you are pushing yourself to the point of pain, you are doing the maximum to build up your body. This makes sense only if you are dealing with whining individuals for whom the slightest effort or pain is worth whining about. So pain making you strong might be interpreted as weakness leaving the body.
Of course, really doing damage that results in constant pain afterward is one consequence of this stupid attitude - a physical therapist who pushes patients too far damages them as one did a friend. Fortunately for the marines, most of them are young men in good health and most of their training does not involved doing something with a risk of damage, so the pain they suffer actually may build them up without disabling them for a day, a week, a month, or a life time.
2007-10-05 13:53:47 · answer #8 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
A real Marine knows that pain is sometimes necessary and that when they experience pain they are getting emotionally and physically stronger.
2007-10-05 13:50:06 · answer #9 · answered by A Human Bean 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it is a marine quote and i refers to boot camp. meaning all the pain they go through is really weakness that they will no longer fear or have
2007-10-05 13:49:50 · answer #10 · answered by Ollie 3 · 5⤊ 0⤋