Top 243 Quotes & Sayings by George S. Patton - Page 3

Perpetual peace is a futile dream.

America loves a winner, and will not tolerate a loser, this is why America has never, and will never, lose a war.

For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting.

A real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood.

Most battles are won before they are ever fought.

Audacity, audacity, always audacity.

In war nothing is impossible, provided you use audacity.

All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don t ever let up. Don t ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain.

It is only by doing things others have not that one can advance.

A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later.

The duties of an officer are the safety, honor, and welfare of your country first; the honor, welfare, and comfort of the men in your command second; and the officer s own ease, comfort, and safety last.

Live for something rather than die for nothing.

Duty is the essence of manhood.

Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of battle.

War is simple, direct, and ruthless.

I don’t fear failure. I only fear the slowing up of the engine inside of me which is saying, ‘Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?

There is no such thing as a successful defense.

It is absurd to believe that soldiers who cannot be made to wear the proper uniform can be induced to move forward in battle. Officers who fail to perform their duty by correcting small violations and in enforcing proper conduct are incapable of leading.

Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage.

From time to time there will be some complaints that we are pushing our people too hard. I don't give a good Goddamn about such complaints. I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder we push, the more Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer of our men will be killed. Pushing means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that.

I never take counsel of my fears.

Success demands a high level of logistical and organizational competence.

Unless you do your best, the day will come when, tired and hungry, you will halt just short of the goal you were ordered to reach, and by halting you will make useless the efforts and deaths of thousands.

If I do my full duty, the rest will take care of itself.

So as through a glass and darkly The age long strife I see Where I fought in many guises, Many names - but always me.

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.

Staff officers of inharmonious disposition, irrespective of their ability, must be removed. A staff cannot function unless it is a united family.

Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge.

Each man must not think only of himself, but also of his buddy fighting beside him. We don't want yellow cowards in this Army. They should be killed off like rats. If not, they will go home after this war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed more brave men. Kill off the Goddamned cowards and we will have a nation of brave men.

The leader must be an actor.

Officers must be made to care for their men. That is the sole duty of all officers.

A man must know his destiny. if he does not recognize it, then he is lost.

I am convinced that much more emphasis should be placed on history. The purpose of history is to learn how human beings react when exposed to the danger of wounds or death.

War is very simple, direct, and ruthless. It takes a simple, direct, and ruthless man to wage war.

My men don't surrender. I don't want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless he has been hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight back.

To be a successful soldier you must know history. . . . What you must know is how man reacts. Weapons change but man who uses them changes not at all. To win battles you do not beat weapons - you beat the soul of man of the enemy man.

Coward: someone who in a bad situation thinks with his feet

I do not have to tell you who won the war. You know, the artillery did.

Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it.

Just drive down that road, until you get blown up

In war the only sure defense is offense, and the efficiency of the offense depends on the warlike souls of those conducting it.

There is no proof nor yet any denial. We were, we are, and we will be.

My men can eat their belts, but my tanks have gotta have gas.

To conquer, we must destroy our enemies. We must not only die gallantly; we must kill devastatingly. The faster and more effectively you kill, the longer you will live to enjoy the priceless fame of conquerors.

The god of war hates those who hesitate.

We must guard against becoming so engrossed in the specific nature of the roots and bark of the trees of knowledge as to miss the meaning and grandeur of the forest they compose.

If you go into a battle, it's better to win the first time.

A good battle plan that you act on today can be better than a perfect one tomorrow.

War is the supreme test of man in which he rises to heights never approached in any other activity.

Do as I have taught you, and you will stay alive.

Sir, I am not a brave man...The truth is, I am an utter craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn't so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands.

My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one either.

Compared to war, all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance. God help me, I do love it so.

Make your plans to fit the circumstances.

The fixed determination to have acquired the warrior soul, to either conquer or perish with honor, is the secret of victory.

In the space of two days I had evolved two plans, wholly distinct, both of which were equally feasible. The point I am trying to bring out is that one does not plan and then try to make circumstances fit those plans. One tries to make plans fit the circumstances.

Why is it that all battles are fought in the middle of the night, in downpouring rain, and at the corners of four different maps?

For years I have been accused of making snap judgments. Honestly, this is not the case because I am a profound military student and the thoughts I express, perhaps too flippantly, are the result of years of thought and study.

The only way you get on in this profession is to have the reputation of doing what you are told as thoroughly as possible.

The publicity I have been getting, a good deal of which is untrue, and the rest of it ill considered, has done me more harm than good.