George S. Patton Quotes

“Pressure makes diamonds”

“You're never beaten until you admit it”

“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.”

“Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”

“When in doubt, ATTACK!”

“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 foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”

“There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time.”

“An incessant change of means to attain unalterable ends is always going on; we must take care not to let these sundry means undo eminence in the perspective of our minds; for, since the beginning, there has been an unending cycle of them, and for each its advocates have claimed adoption as the sole solution of successful war.”

“Remember praise is more valuable than blame.”

“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.”

“Now in war we are confronted with conditions which are strange.If we accept them we will never win.Since being realistic, as in mundane combats fistic,We will get a bloody nose and that's a sin.”

“Say what you mean and mean what you say.”

“Always do more than is required of you.”

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

“Lack of orders is no excuse for inaction.”

“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.”

“Most battles are won before they are ever fought.”

“Many, who should know better, think that wars can be decided by soulless machines, rather than by the blood and anguish of brave men.”

“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.”

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

“A pint of sweat, saves a gallon of blood.”

“If we aren't victorious, let no man come back alive!”

“Better to fight for something than live for nothing.”

“This is a hell of a way to die.”

“Let's keep our boots polished, bayonets sharpened, and present a picture of force and strength to the Red Army. This is the only language they understand and respect.”

“The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”

“Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired... You've always got to make the mind take over and keep going.”

“The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on.”

“The most vital quality a soldier can possess is self-confidence.”

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

“Never let the enemy pick the battle site.”

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

“Duty is the essence of manhood.”

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

“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.”

“Wars are not won by fighting battles; wars are won by choosing battles”

“The most difficult thing about being humble is not being able to brag about it.”

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

“Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.”

“Never draw a gun on a man unless you intend to kill him. And believe me, if you do intend to kill him he will already know it. Then he will feel the cold breath of the tomb.”

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

“If I could have three wishes, one would be to take an '88 and shove that barrel up Hitler's ass so that cocksucker can cry like the little god-damned girl he is. And hell, after that, I wouldn't need two more wishes.”

“We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”

“There is a time to take counsel of your fears, and there is a time to never listen to any fear.”

“To be a successful soldier, you must know history.”

“Few men are killed by the bayonet, many are scared by it. Bayonets should be fixed when the fire fight starts”

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

“A piece of spaghetti or a military unit can only be led from the front end.”

“Close the playand keep the store open nights.”