Quotes

“World War Z” narrates a raw and nerve-wracking story focusing on the experiences of a diverse group of individuals from various countries and cultures from around the world who survived the Zombie epidemic caused by the extremely contagious Z virus and the scourge of the living dead that soon followed.

“World War Z” by Max Brooks offers many interesting quotes from various sources due to the large number of characters from whose perspectives the story unfolds.

Preserving the Human Society

This is the only time for high ideals because those ideals are all that we have. We aren’t just fighting for our physical survival but for the survival of our civilization. We don’t have the luxury of old-world pillars. We don’t have a common heritage, we don’t have millennia of history. All we have are the dreams and promises that bind us together. All we have…is what we want to be.

– The Whacko

The Whacko made this quote, quoting the then newly sworn-in wartime United States president. The quote reminds us that rebuilding civilization and holding it together takes more than the actual work. part of what cements civil society is the willingness of the people to uphold the systems and practices that ensure processes are maintained and move smoothly. Even though he knew that the people yearned for a strong man to walk up and take charge, as Julius Caesar did in ancient Rome, he trusted in and upheld the system because he also needed people to trust the system.

It’s not about saving the world. It’s about saving what’s left of it.

Arthur Sinclair

Arthur Sinclair, the Director of the U.S. government’s Department of Strategic Resources, talks about the focus of their efforts during the zombie war. He explains the mentality behind the shift from trying to preserve pre-war society to salvaging and rebuilding what remains.

This quote underscores the pragmatism of the survivors in the face of overwhelming loss. It shows a shift from ideological goals to practical measures of recovery and survival. The focus on preserving what’s left reflects recognizing irreversible changes and the need to adapt to a new reality. This perspective is significant as it guides the strategies and policies implemented for long-term recovery, showing humanity’s resilience and determination to rebuild from the ruins.

It is my fault and the fault of everyone in my generation. I wonder what the future generations will say about us. My grandparents suffered through the Depression, and World War II, then came home to build the greatest middle class in human history. Lord knows they weren’t perfect, but they sure came closest to the American dream.

– Mrs Miller

She also thinks that Gen Z had the privilege of living at a level of ease and plenty the previous generations did not think was possible this made them too soft and unprepared to handle the zombie scourge. Notwithstanding her bleak opinion of Gen Z, she is proud of how her generation solved the problem it had allowed to fester.

Yes, there was racism, but there was also classism. You’re a high-powered corporate attorney. You’ve spent most of your life reviewing contracts, brokering deals, and talking on the phone. That’s what you’re good at, that’s what made you rich and what allowed you to hire a plumber to fix your toilet, which allowed you to keep talking on the phone. The more work you do, the more money you make, the more peons you hire to free you up to make more money. That’s the way the world works. But one day it doesn’t. No one needs a contract reviewed or a deal brokered. What it does need is toilets fixed. And suddenly that peon is your teacher, maybe even your boss. For some, this was scarier than the living dead.

– Arthur Sinclair

This quote discusses the upheaval of social hierarchy that followed the government’s rebuilding during the zombie war. Since many industries critical to the functioning of the pre-war world had been destroyed, many jobs and positions were rendered obsolete. The hardest hit by this upheaval were people who used to occupy executive positions, and command fear and respect with their positions, power, and money, which are some of the main themes in “World War Z.”

We had to learn to think in terms of the collective good, not individual survival.

– Kwang Jing-Shu

Dr. Kwang Jingshu, the Chinese doctor who attended Patient Zero and was detained by the government, is speaking about the shift in mindset required to combat the zombie outbreak effectively. He emphasizes the need for communal efforts and coordinated responses.

This quote illuminates the importance of unity and cooperation in a global crisis. It contrasts with the earlier emphasis on individual survival, illustrating a shift in societal values. The collective good becomes the primary objective, reflecting themes of solidarity and interdependence. This perspective is important in understanding how different societies managed to withstand the apocalypse and rebuild.

The Devastating Effects of War

I still have nightmares, places like Bolivar, and the Black Hills. I never see the actual images, not the violence, or the aftermath. I never see the actual images, not the violence, or the aftermath.

– The Whacko

This quote shows the mental distress experienced by individuals who escaped the devastating war and the effects it still has on their daily lives years after it ended. At the war’s end, many countries tried to recover territories where survivors had banded together and seceded, hoping to govern themselves. Still, the government sent special forces to subdue them. This often led to massacres, and even though Todd Wainio never experienced any of the direct actions taken by government forces against rebel holdouts, it still disturbed him.

I saw them pulling children from the arms of their parents, saw mothers trying to throw themselves across their babies as if their bodies alone could stop the bullets.

– Jesika Hendricks

Jesika Hendricks recounts the chaos and horror of the refugee camps in Canada, where desperate measures were taken to control the infected and prevent the spread of the zombie epidemic.

This quote captures the profound human suffering and the moral challenges faced during the zombie epidemic. It shows the devastating impact on families and the extreme measures taken to contain the infection. Max Brooks’ vivid imagery evokes empathy and horror, emphasizing the brutal reality of the crisis.

The living dead had taken more from us than land and loved ones. They’d robbed us of our confidence as the planet’s dominant life form. We were a shaken, broken species, driven to the edge of extinction and grateful only for tomorrow with perhaps a little less suffering than today. Was this the legacy we would leave our children, a level of anxiety and self-doubt not seen since our simian ancestors cowered in the tallest trees? What kind of world would they rebuild? Would they rebuild at all? Could they continue to progress, knowing that they would be powerless to reclaim their future?

– The President

The American president made this quote while addressing delegates and ambassadors of the United Nations during the Honolulu Conference aboard the USS Saratoga. A delegate from a nation that had been designated a “third-world country” before the zombie wars had made an impassioned argument that maybe the zombie scourge, which disproportionately affected the colder countries north of the world, the former “first-world countries,” was a punishment for their crimes of scourging the global south and pillaging their resources.

His comments caused an uproar in the assembly, but the American president calmed the situation by quietly reminding everyone that the world at large had much to gain from speedily recovering the planet from the zombies so the next generation could have a safe space to thrive in.

We lost entire countries. France, Germany, Japan, South Africa. They’re just gone.

– Todd Wainio

Todd Wainio is reflecting on the global scale of the devastation, and the total collapse of several major nations.

This quote underscores the devastating scale of the catastrophe in “World War Z.” The mention of entire nations being “just gone” highlights the theme of global devastation and the fragility of human civilization. Wainio’s reflection conveys a sense of loss and the overwhelming nature of the zombie war, emphasizing that the crisis transcended borders and affected all of humanity. It reinforces the novel’s exploration of worldwide solidarity and the collective effort required to rebuild.

The Role Of The Media In Spreading Propaganda And Misinformation

The only rule that ever made sense to me  I learned from a history, not an economics, professor at Wharton. “Fear,” he used to say, “fear is the most valuable commodity in the universe.” That blew me away. “Turn on the TV,” he’d say. “What are you seeing? People selling their products? No. People selling the fear of you having to live without their products.” Fuckin’ A, was he right. Fear of aging, fear of loneliness, fear of poverty, fear of failure. Fear is the most basic emotion we have. Fear is primal. Fear sells.

– Breckenridge Scott

Breckenridge Scott made this quote to show how the media helped spread fear and panic about the emerging plague among the masses. This was a critique of the spread of the public hysteria that initially surrounded the emergence and spread of the contagion. The hysteria was partly manufactured by the various media outfits who amplified the crisis to get more viewers. This created the perfect opportunity for men like Breckenridge Scott to emerge and peddle snake oils in the form of the Phalanx vaccine, a repurposed rabies vaccine. Although there was no evidence of Phalanx being effective against the contagion, it was soon certified by the FDA and massively marketed as a cure. By this time, many people were afraid of getting the disease, and they eagerly welcomed Phalanx without ever asking questions.

The media was more interested in ratings than the truth.

– Breckenridge Scott

Breck Scott, a con artist who developed the fake vaccine Phalanx, reflects on how the media’s sensationalism and quest for high ratings contributed to the public’s misinformation about the zombie outbreak.

This quote discusses a critical theme in “World War Z” – the detrimental impact of media sensationalism on public perception and behavior. The media failed to provide accurate information, exacerbating the crisis. This critiques modern media practices and emphasizes the need for responsible journalism, especially during emergencies. The quote also points to Scott’s character as a manipulative figure exploiting societal flaws for personal gain.

Looking back, I still can’t believe how unprofessional the news media was. So much spin, and few hard facts. All those digestible sound bites from an army of ‘experts’ contradicting one another, all trying to seem more ‘shocking’ and ‘in-depth’ than the last one. It was all so confusing, nobody seemed to know what to do.

– Jessika Hendricks

This quote by Jessika Hendricks also points out the role played by the media companies in spreading what became known as the Great Panic. The often conflicting and sometimes incorrect information spread by the media served to worsen an already dangerous and volatile situation. As the contagion and the infected spread across the North American continent, the media began to incorrectly advise people to head north, with the uninformed hope that the colder temperatures would impede the spread of the infection and the infected. This led to the deaths of millions of people worldwide who succumbed to freezing temperatures and starvation.

Human Nature

You ever hear about that experiment an American journalist did in Moscow in the 1970s? He just lined up at some building, nothing special about it, just a random door. Sure enough, someone got in line behind him, then a couple more, and before you knew it, they were backed up around the block. No one asked what the line was for. They just assumed it was worth it. I can’t say if that story was true. Maybe it’s an urban legend or a Cold War myth. Who knows?

– Gavin Blare

Gavin Blaire criticizes bandwagon behavior in humans, especially in uncertain situations. As people tried to escape from the cities, they clogged up the roads with their cars and vans in a mad dash for the highways, creating miles of traffic that turned into a death trap for thousands of people.

Ignorance was the enemy. Lies and superstition, misinformation, disinformation. Sometimes, no information at all. Ignorance killed billions of people. Ignorance caused the Zombie War.

– Barati Pa

Barati Palshigar talks about the value of cold, hard facts in surviving crises. She points out that the zombie pandemic ballooned into a crisis because governments, the media, and ordinary individuals intentionally or unintentionally misinformed and misinformed people to achieve their agendas.

But isn’t the human factor what connects us so deeply to our past? Will future generations care as much for chronologies and casualty statistics as they would for personal accounts of individuals not so different from themselves? By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kinds of personal detachment from a history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it?

– The Chairperson

This is a conversation between the Narrator and the chairperson of the United Nations Postwar Committee after the Narrator discovered that most of the interviews he conducted were removed from the published version of his report because they were too emotional. He argues that the emotional aspects of the report were intended to impress the dire and bleak nature of the experiences recorded in the report on future generations who never experienced the war themselves so they would take care not to repeat past mistakes.