Military Veteran Quotes

• This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.

  Elmer Davis

  Country, Courage, Veterans Day

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• As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

  John F. Kennedy

  Inspirational, Thank You, Thanksgiving

  Kennedy, John F. (1964). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, 1963”, p.836, Best Books on

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  In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.

  Mark Twain

  Change, Thank You, Memorial Day

  Mark Twain (2012). “Mark Twain at Your Fingertips: A Book of Quotations”, p.351, Courier Corporation

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• Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country's cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.

  Abraham Lincoln

  Country, Veterans Day, Brother

  Abraham Lincoln (2008). “The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln”, p.32, Wildside Press LLC

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• Always do everything you ask of those you command.

  George S. Patton

  Army, Military Leadership, Military Command

  "I Remember General Patton's Principles". Book by Porter B. Williamson, p. 174, 1984.

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• **** the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!

  David Farragut

  War, Military, Marine

  At the battle of Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864 ('torpedoes' were mines). Capt. A. T. Mahan 'Admiral Farragut' (1892) ch. 10

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• Never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

  Winston Churchill

  Being Strong, Encouraging, Courage

  Winston Churchill (2012). “Churchill: The Power of Words”, p.395, Da Capo Press

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• To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.

  George Washington

  Inspirational, Leadership, Motivation

  1790 First Annual Address, 8 Jan.

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• Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

  Winston Churchill

  Being Strong, Veterans Day, Stay Strong

  Winston Churchill (2012). “Churchill: The Power of Words”, p.395, Da Capo Press

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• Lord, bid war's trumpet cease; Fold the whole earth in peace.

  Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

  Veterans Day, Peace, War

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• America's veterans embody the ideals upon which America was founded more than 229 years ago.

  Steve Buyer

  Veterans Day, Years, Us Veterans

  17 Copy quote

• Never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.

  Winston Churchill

  Graduation, Being Strong, Perseverance

  Speech at Harrow School, Harrow, England, 29 Oct. 1941

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• I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.

  Dwight D. Eisenhower

  Peace, War, Hate

  Speech in Ottawa on January 10, 1946. "Eisenhower Speaks: Dwight D. Eisenhower in His Messages and Speeches". Book edited by Rudolph L. Treuenfels, 1948.

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• A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.

  Dwight D. Eisenhower

  Success, Witty, Memorial Day

  First Inaugural Address, delivered 20 January 1953

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  People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

  Richard Grenier

  Strength, Wisdom, Veterans Day

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• The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.

  Patrick Henry

  Inspirational, Veterans Day, Courage

  Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, delivered 23 March 1775 at Henrico Parrish Church St, Richmond Virginia, Second Virginia Convention

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

  George S. Patton

  Inspirational, Positive, Leadership

  "War As I Knew It". Book by George S. Patton. Chapter "Reflections and Suggestions", 1947.

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• It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.

  Mark Twain

  Inspirational, Funny, Motivational

  Mark Twain (2014). “Mark Twain on Common Sense: Timeless Advice and Words of Wisdom from America's Most-Revered Humorist”, p.53, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

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  What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog.

  Dwight D. Eisenhower

  Inspirational, Life, Basketball

  Eisenhower, Dwight D. (1959). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1958”, p.135, Best Books on

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  Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.

  Dwight D. Eisenhower

  Life, Change, Wise

  1952 In Time, 6 Oct.

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• The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.

  George Washington

  Veterans Day, Military, War

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• It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

  Zell Miller

  Veterans Day, Military, Army

  2004 Republican National Convention Address, delivered 1 September 2004, Madison Square Garden, New York

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• We have met the enemy and they are ours.

  Oliver Hazard Perry

  Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Military

  Message toWilliam Henry Harrison, 10 Sept. 1813. The source is Perry's dispatch from the U.S. brig Niagara to General Harrison, announcing that victory at the Battle of Lake Erie was secure. The dispatch was written in pencil on the back of an old letter; it is quoted in Robert B. McAfee, History of the LateWar in theWestern Country (1816). SeeWalt Kelly 2; Walt Kelly 3

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• Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never -- in nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.

  Winston Churchill

  Life, Inspiring, Graduation

  Speech at Harrow School, Harrow, England, 29 Oct. 1941

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• How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!

  Maya Angelou

  Strong Women, Veterans Day, Courage

  "Celebrating Our She-roes" by Jill S. Tietjen, www.huffingtonpost.com. June 10, 2014.

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