George S. Patton Quotes

“You just wait and see. The lily-livered b*stards in Washington will demobilize. They'll say they've made the world safe for democracy again. The Russians are not such d*mned fools. They'll rebuild; and with modern weapons.”

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

“You must be single minded. Drive for the one thing on which you have decided.”

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

“You're never beaten until you admit it”

“Pressure makes diamonds”

“All glory is fleeting.”

“The supreme measure of a man, is what he would risk his life for.”

“Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood.”

“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.”

“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?”

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

“A man is not measured by how much he can take and stand but by how fast he regains once fallen.”

“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.”

“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?”

“The highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is bearing arms.”

“Don't fall victim to what I call the ready-aim-aim-aim-aim syndrome. You must be willing to fire.”

“There is a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates.”

“It is rather interesting how you get used to death.”

“By perseverance, study, and eternal desire, any man can become great.”

“Many soldiers are led to faulty ideas of war by knowing too much about too little.”

“There is only one sort of discipline - PERFECT DISCIPLINE. Men cannot have good battle discipline and poor administrative discipline.”

“An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.”

“Battle is an orgy of disorder.”

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