Chapter 14 (p. 341)
“
Scott said, “If things had gone the way they were supposed to, we’d have been in Philadelphia a long time ago.”
“Yeah, and if pigs had wings, we’d all carry umbrellas,” Featherstone replied with a snort “When you’ve been through even a little more fighting, kid, you’re going to see that things just don’t go the way they’re supposed to.”
— Harry Turtledove
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Scott said, “If things had gone the way they were supposed to, we’d have been in Philadelphia a long time ago.”
“Yeah, and if pigs had wings, we’d all carry umbrellas,” Featherstone replied with a snort “When you’ve been through even a little more fighting, kid, you’re going to see that things just don’t go the way they’re supposed to.”" in the context of "Chapter 14 (p. 341)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Harry Turtledove" (Quotes, Southern Victory (1997-2007), The "Great War" Trilogy, The Great War: American Front (1998): All page numbers from the hardcover edition published by Del Rey, , first printing
Italics 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 Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove (born 14 June 1949) is an American novelist, best known for his works in several genres, including that of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction.
About Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove (born 14 June 1949) is an American novelist, best known for his works in several genres, including that of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction.
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