George Smith Patton Jr. was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944
Quotes
“An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.”
“When in doubt, ATTACK!”
“You must be single minded. Drive for the one thing on which you have decided.”
“Coward: someone who in a bad situation thinks with his feet.”
“There is only one sort of discipline, perfect discipline.”
“A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood.”
“A man must know his destiny if he does not recognize it, then he is lost.”
“You’re never beaten until you admit it.”
“Officers must be made to care for their men. That is the sole duty of all officers.”
“Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?”
“You need to overcome the tug of people against you as you reach for high goals.”
“Lack of orders is no excuse for inaction.”
“I never take counsel of my fears.”
“I always believe in being prepared, even when I’m dressed in white tie and tails.”
“Remember praise is more valuable than blame.”
“If I win I can’t be stopped! If I lose I shall be dead.”
“Do your duty as you see it, and damn the consequences.”
“We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”
“The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on.”
“A piece of spaghetti or a military unit can only be led from the front end.”
“The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared.”
“Let’s shoot the works and win! Yes win it all.”
“I read the Bible – every goddamn day.”
“Fear kills more people than death.”
“There is no such thing as a successful defense.”
“Make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up.”
“There is no proof nor yet any denial. We were, we are, and we will be.”
“Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of battle.”
“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.”
“All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened.”
“I am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.”
“Success in war depends upon the golden rule of war.”
“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.”
“Most battles are won before they are ever fought.”
“Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are and probably more so. They are not supermen.”
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”
“Do not make excuses, whether it’s your fault or not.”
“Many soldiers are led to faulty ideas of war by knowing too much about too little.”
“By perseverance, study, and eternal desire, any man can become great.”
“Pressure makes diamonds.”
“Better to fight for something than live for nothing.”
“Make your plans to fit the circumstances.”
“In case of doubt, push on just a little further and then keep on pushing.”
“The leader must be an actor.”
“When a decision has to be made, make it. There is no totally right time for anything.”
“Duty is the essence of manhood.”
“The highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is bearing arms.”
“May God have mercy for my enemies because I won’t.”
“Say what you mean and mean what you say.”
“Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy.”
“I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.”
“Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”
“A good battle plan that you act on today can be better than a perfect one tomorrow.”
“Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets.”
“The most vital quality a soldier can possess is self-confidence.”
“Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack.”
“To be a successful soldier, you must know history.”
“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.”
“If we aren’t victorious, let no man come back alive!”
“When there is fear of failure, there will be failure.”
“Perpetual peace is a futile dream.”
“The god of war hates those who hesitate.”
“No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.”
“Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”
“Wars are not won by fighting battles; wars are won by choosing battles.”
“Take calculated risks.”
“If I do my full duty, the rest will take care of itself.”
“Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge.”
“Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man.”
“Always do everything you ask of those you command.”
“Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”
“It is rather interesting how you get used to death.”
“Do as I have taught you, and you will stay alive.”
“Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage.”
“War is simple, direct, and ruthless.”
“If a man does his best, what else is there?”
“You fight like you train.”
“All glory is fleeting.”
“Never let the enemy pick the battle site.”
“A leader is a man who can adapt principles to circumstances.”
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”
“You must do your damdest and win.”
“Be willing to make decisionsThat’s the most important quality in a good leader.”
“In war nothing is impossible, provided you use audacity.”
“Always do more than is required of you.”
“In case of doubt, attack.”
“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”
“Success is how you bounce on the bottom.”
“You cannot be disciplined in great things and undisciplined in small things.”
“The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other guy die for his.”
“Battle is an orgy of disorder.”
“If you go into a battle, it’s better to win the first time.”
“It is only by doing things others have not that one can advance.”
“A man must know his destiny.”
“Those who live in fear die a thousand deaths.”
“Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.”