Chapter 13 “Some Ways of Dying” (p. 312)
“
“It must be a burden, not even being able to say you were just obeying orders.”
“Well, that is always a lie, or a sign you are fighting for an unworthy cause, or still have a very long way to develop civilisationally.”
— Iain Banks
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "“It must be a burden, not even being able to say you were just obeying orders.”
“Well, that is always a lie, or a sign you are fighting for an unworthy cause, or still have a very long way to develop civilisationally.”" in the context of "Chapter 13 “Some Ways of Dying” (p. 312)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Iain Banks" (Quotes, Culture series, Look to Windward (2000): All page numbers are from the 2012 trade paperback edition published by Orbit , 10th printing
All spelling, italics, and punctuation as in the book )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Iain Banks
Iain Menzies Banks (February 16, 1954 – June 9, 2013), officially Iain Banks, was a Scottish writer. As Iain M. Banks he wrote science fiction; as Iain Banks he wrote literary fiction.
About Iain Banks
Iain Menzies Banks (February 16, 1954 – June 9, 2013), officially Iain Banks, was a Scottish writer. As Iain M. Banks he wrote science fiction; as Iain Banks he wrote literary fiction.
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