A pair of worn boxing gloves hangs by the laces from a hook against dark maroon.

Original artwork, not a still

Margaret Mead

I do not believe in using women in combat, because females are too fierce.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker claims women should not serve in combat, and gives an unexpected reason: not that they are too weak, but that they are too fierce. The remark is a paradoxical, backhanded compliment that presents this as the speaker's own view.

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