Quotes by George S. Patton

A civil servant is sometimes like a broken cannon -- it won't work and you can't fire it.

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.

One does not plan and then try to make circumstances fit the plans. One tries to make plans fit the circumstances.

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

Success is not getting to the top -- but how you bounce up from the bottom that counts.

So let us do real fighting, boring in and gouging, biting.

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

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

I am sure that if every leader who goes into battle will promise himself that he will come out either a conqueror or a corpse, he is sure to win. There is no doubt of that. Defeat is not due to losses but to the destruction of the Soul of the leaders-the 'live to fight another day' doctrine.

All glory is fleeting.

Plans must be simple and flexible....They must be made by the people who execute them.

Success in war depends upon the golden rule of war.

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

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

Let us not mourn that such men died, but rejoice that such men lived.

Tanks are new and special weapon-newer than, as special, and certainly as valuable as the airplane.

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

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.

It is the cold glitter of the attacker's eye not the point of the questing bayonet that breaks the line.

Often I have encountered in life that great disappointments have proved to be the road to future successes.

Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy.

I always believe in being prepared, even when I'm dressed in white tie and tails.

All men are timid on entering any fight. Whether it is the first or the last fight, all of us are timid. Cowards are those who let their timidity get the better of their manhood.

Wars are not won by fighting battles; wars are won by choosing battles.

I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood.

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

You fight like you train.

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

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?

I'd rather have a German Division in front of me than a French one behind.

The obvious thing for the cavalryman to do is to accept the fighting machine as a partner, and prepare to meet more fully the demands of future warfare.

Prisoner of War guard companies, or an equivalent organization, should be as far forward as possible in action to take over prisoners of war, because troops heated with battle are not safe custodians. Any attempt to rob or loot prisoners of war by escorts must be dealt strictly with.

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.

In forty hours I shall be in battle, with little information, and on the spur of the moment will have to make the most momentous decisions. But I believe that one's spirit enlarges with responsibility and that, with God's help, I shall make them, and make them right.

War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts.

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

There is no such thing as a successful defense.

If everybody's thinking the same thing, then nobody's thinking.

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.

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.

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.

There are three ways that men get what they want: by planning, by working, and by praying.

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.

Do not try to make circumstances fit your plans. Make plans that fit the circumstances.

Discipline can only be obtained when all the officers are imbued with the sense of their awful obligation to their men and to their country that they cannot tolerate negligence. Officers who fail to correct errors or to praise excellence are valueless in peace and dangerous misfits in war.

Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets.

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

Success demands a high level of logistical and organizational competence.

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

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

I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed! Gen.

In war nothing is impossible, provided you use audacity.

To me it seems certain that the fatalistic teachings of Muhammad and the utter degradation of women is the outstanding cause for the arrested development of the Arab. He is exactly as he was around the year 700, while we have kept on developing.

I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.

You shouldn't underestimate an enemy, but it is just as fatal to overestimate him.

Attack rapidly, ruthlessly, viciously, without rest, however tired and hungry you may be, the enemy will be more tired, more hungry. Keep punching.

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

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.

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

War is an art and as such is not susceptible of explanation by fixed formula.

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

No sane man is unafraid in battle, but discipline produces in him a form of vicarious courage.

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.

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.

Always do more than is required of you.

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

A man must know his destiny.

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.

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.

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

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.

The highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is bearing arms.

Give me an Army of West Point graduates and I'll win a battle... Give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war.

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

Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time.

An imperfect plan implemented immediately and violently will always succeed better than a perfect plan.

No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.

When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!

If you can't get them to salute when they should salute and wear the clothes you tell them to wear, how are you going to get them to die for their country?

Pressure makes diamonds.

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

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

The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That's the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!

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

An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.

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

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

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

If a man has done his best, what else is there?

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

You need to overcome the tug of people against you as you reach for high goals.

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

All very successful commanders are prima donnas and must be so treated.

If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you'll be amazed at the results.

Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack.

If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.

If a man does his best, what else is there?

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.

There is only one sort of discipline, perfect discipline.

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.

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

Always do everything you ask of those you command.

The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.