Army Quotes - Page 2

• Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, Military, War

  Sun Tzu (2017). “The Art Of War - The Oldest Military Treatise in the World”, p.52, Youcanprint

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• A clever general... avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods. Disciplined and calm, he awaits the appearance of disorder and hubbub among the enemy. This is the art of retaining self-possession.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, Clever, War

  James Clavell, Sun Tzu (2013). “The Art of War”, p.31, Hachette UK

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• By altering his arrangements and changing his plans, the skillful general keeps the enemy without definite knowledge. By shifting his camp and taking circuitous routes, he prevents the enemy from anticipating his purpose. At the critical moment, the leader of an army acts like one who has climbed up a height and then kicks away the ladder behind him.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Leader

  James Clavell, Sun Tzu (2013). “The Art of War”, p.52, Hachette UK

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• There is not a single outward mark of courtesy that does not have a deep moral basis.

  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  Doe, Moral, Courtesy

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• There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning, by working, and by praying. Any great military operation takes careful planning, or thinking. Then you must have well-trained troops to carry it out: that's working. But between the plan and the operation there is always an unknown. That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. Some people call that getting the breaks; I call it God. God has His part, or margin in everything, That's where prayer comes in.

  George S. Patton

  Prayer, Military, Men

  "The True Story of The Patton Prayer" by James H. O'Neill. Review of the News, www.pattonhq.com. October 06, 1971.

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• When one treats people with benevolence, justice and righteousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, People

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• An army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Water

  Sun Tzu, Shang Yang (1997). “The Art of War”, p.33, Wordsworth Editions

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• When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Desperate

  Sun Tzu, Julius Caesar, Einhard, Niccolò Machiavelli, Carl von Clausewitz (2016). “Strategy Six Pack”, p.19, Lulu.com

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• The general must be the first in the toils and fatigues of the army. In the heat of summer he does not spread his parasol nor in the cold of winter don thick clothing. In dangerous places he must dismount and walk. He waits until the army's wells have been dug and only then drinks; until the army's food is cooked before he eats; until the army's fortifications have been completed, to shelter himself.

  Sun Tzu

  Summer, Art, War

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• As water shapes its flow in accordance with the ground, so an army manages its victory in accordance with the situation of the enemy.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Water

  Sun Tzu, Shang Yang (1997). “The Art of War”, p.33, Wordsworth Editions

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• The supreme excellence is not to win a hundred victories in a hundred battles. The supreme excellence is to subdue the armies of your enemies without having to fight them.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Fighting

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• Everyone wants peace - and they will fight the most terrible war to get it.

  Miles Kington

  Military, War, Fighting

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• It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, be able to divide them; if equal, engage them; if fewer, defend against them; if weaker, be able to avoid them.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Enemy

  "The Art of War". Book by Sun Tzu, Chapter III · Strategic Attack, 6th Century BC.

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• To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Excellence

  Sun Tzu “Sun Tzu: The Art of War (Illustrated)”, Charles River Editors

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• Every good soldier wants to live in an organized environment, secure in the knowledge that he or she will not be threatened or harassed by others, confident that his or her efforts will be recognized, and aware that the nonproductive soldier will be invited to leave. In such an environment, soldiers will be proud of their units and will demonstrate that pride with their performance and behavior.

  William A. Connelly

  Pride, Effort, Soldier

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• Soldiers are members of a profession of arms which has existed virtually unchanged for thousands of years- far longer than most other human institutions have existed. The Army has done so because of its unique character- a uniqueness based primarily upon intangibles that cannot be costed.

  William A. Connelly

  Character, Unique, Years

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• We build character in order for us to withstand the rigors of combat and resist the temptations to compromise our principles in peacetime. We must build character in peacetime because there is no time in war. Character is the most important quality you can find in any person, but especially in a soldier. It is the foundation that will get anybody through anything he may encounter. Reputation is what people think you are; character is what you are- that is the staying power.

  Glen E. Morrell

  War, Character, Thinking

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• A code of ethics cannot be developed overnight by edict or official pronouncement. It is developed by years of practice and performance of duty according to high ethical standards. It must be self-policing. Without such a code, a professional soldier or a group soon loses identity and effectiveness. Once we know our job, have a genuine code of ethics, and maintain unquestioned personal integrity, we have met the first and most demanding challenge of leadership.

  Silas L. Copeland

  Jobs, Integrity, Practice

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• Soldiers must possess integrity in order to build trust and confidence in themselves, our leadership, and the American public. Among the things I've learned during my career is that you must be honest with everyone about everything.

  Glen E. Morrell

  Integrity, Order, Careers

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• The core of a soldier is moral discipline. It is intertwined with the discipline of physical and mental achievement. It motivates doing on your own what is right without prodding. It is an inner critic that refuses to tolerate less than your best. Total discipline overcomes adversity and physical stamina draws on an inner strength that says "drive on".

  William G. Bainbridge

  Adversity, Discipline, Achievement

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• Without self-discipline, a noncommissioned officer can never develop or maintain personal integrity.

  Silas L. Copeland

  Integrity, Self, Discipline

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• Professional courage is the steel fiber that makes an NCO unafraid and willing to tell it like it is. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to the soldiers' problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he is wrong.

  William A. Connelly

  Mean, Knowing, Ncos

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• The good NCO has never been short in confidence, either to perform the mission or to inform the superior that he or she was interfering with traditional NCO business.

  William G. Bainbridge

  Ncos, Missions, Traditional

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• Moral courage, to me, is much more demanding than physical courage.

  Leon L. Van Autreve

  Moral, Moral Courage, Physical Courage

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• The equipment and weaponry will continually change and improve, and the size of the military will expand as needed, decreasing during times of peace. But the unyielding will of the soldier and the dedication of professional military leaders will not change. Our soldiers can do a great deal more under pressure than people think. You'd have to see them perform in combat to believe it.

  George W. Dunaway

  Military, Believe, Dedication

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