The notion that the colonel need be a better man than the private is as confused as the notion that the keystone need be stronger than the coping stone.

Summary

This quote suggests that the belief that a high-ranking officer, such as a colonel, must be morally superior to a lower-ranking soldier, like a private, is confusing and misguided. It compares this notion to the idea that the keystone, a central and essential stone in an arch, should be stronger than the coping stone, which is a stone used to cap the arch. In both cases, the comparison is flawed, as it ignores the importance and contribution of each individual and their unique role within a system or structure.