Movie Life Lessons: The Hunt For Red October - "Burn Your Ships"

Oct 08, 2023

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER is a 1990 movie directed by John McTiernan and written by Larry Ferguson, based on Tom Clancy’s 1984 novel, about the Soviet Union’s best submarine captain, Marco Ramius, played by Sean Connery, who decides to defect to America in the Soviet Union’s newest top secret submarines.

This movie has always been one of my favorites. It’s got everything you want in a great submarine film—intensity, tension, and a lot of strategy. If I had to pick a top contender for best sub movie, it would be this one. There are a few Movie Life Lessons you can take from this film, but today I want to focus on the big one: Burn Your Ships.

The scene: Captain Ramius is gathered with his officers, laying out their plan to defect to the United States in the Soviet Union’s newest top-secret submarine. Tensions are high. Some of his men want to turn back; others are hesitant, gripped by fear of what could happen if they’re caught. They’ve got their families, their lives, and their future to think about. As the officers argue, Ramius silences them with one bombshell: before they sailed, he sent a letter to the Admiral of the Soviet Navy. In that letter, he informed the Admiral of their intention to defect.

No turning back now.

His officers are stunned. Angry. Some even see it as a death sentence. And that’s when Ramius shares a story that’s stayed with me ever since.

“When he reached the New World, Cortez burned his ships. As a result, his men were well motivated.”

The story he’s referring to happened in 1519. Hernán Cortés and his 600 Spaniards landed on the shores of what is now Mexico, only to realize they were up against the mighty Aztec Empire. Fear spread through his crew. Some wanted to go back to Cuba, where Cortés himself faced charges of mutiny for disobeying orders. The men were on the edge of mutiny—terrified and desperate to run.

But Cortés knew there was only one way forward. He scuttled his own fleet, leaving his men with a simple choice: fight or die. There would be no retreat, no escape. With their ships burned, their only way home was through victory.

That’s what it means to “Burn Your Ships.”

Image attributed to Miguel Gonzalez of Hernan Cortes scuttling his fleet off the Veracruz coast.

That is what it means to Burn Your Ships.

If you’re truly serious about achieving something, burn your ships. Don’t leave yourself an easy way out. Remove the safety nets, the backup plans, the escape routes. Because when you’ve got no other options, that’s when you’re truly tested. That’s when you see what you’re really made of. With no backup plan, you’ll fight harder, push further, and become more resourceful than you ever thought possible.

It means: Win or Die.

When it comes to pursuing your life’s goals, Burn Your Ships is a principle worth embracing. Sure, it sounds extreme, but so is failing to achieve the things you really want in life. When the goal is meaningful enough—when it’s tied to who you are and what you stand for—burning your ships isn’t a crazy move; it’s a necessary one. It’s the kind of commitment that guarantees one of two outcomes: you rise to the occasion, or you don’t.

And as harsh as that sounds, it’s exactly what you need to reach your full potential. As Babe Ruth put it, “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” That’s the spirit of burning your ships: going all-in and refusing to quit, even when the going gets tough.

Image] "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up ...

So, next time you’re hesitating, ask yourself: what would it look like if you burned your ships? What if you went all-in with no backup plan? What if you bet on yourself so completely that turning back was no longer an option?

I’ll tell you what—it looks like success. Or, at the very least, it looks like finding out what you’re truly capable of when you’ve got nothing left to lose and everything to fight for.

Burn your ships. You might just surprise yourself.

Elice Island

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