[Theft was common.] It's the law of the playground, ... a journey back to boyhood, where if you wanted somebody's sandwich you beat him up and took it.

275

Being hungry is something you get very used to in the French Foreign Legion.

220

I wouldn't recommend the Foreign Legion for a thinking person, ... because it's going to wear you down.

175

Hard, professional soldiers who are doing that for lack of another marketable skill.

162

[The physical training was harsh. A seven-day march earned enlistees the right to wear the kepi blanc.] You're marching on bloody feet, ... You approach insanity.

139

I wanted to be a monk, ... A soldiering monk. Giving up everything you've known in your life to be part of this special unit — that appealed to me. I wanted to start fresh. I joined the French Foreign Legion.

129