George S. Patton

So as through a glass and darkly_x000D_ The age long strife I see_x000D_ Where I fought in many guises,_x000D_ Many names - but always me.

A man must know his destiny… if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder… if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it.

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

I am the best damn ass-kicker in the whole U.S. Army!

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

An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.

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.

Sir, I am not a brave man...The truth is, I am an utter craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn't so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands.

Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage.

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

Battle... brings out all that is best.

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

Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle.

I have studied the enemy all my life. I have read the memoirs of his generals and his leaders. I have even read his philosophers and listened to his music. I have studied in detail the account of every damned one of his battles. I know exactly how he will react under any given set of circumstances. And he hasn't the slightest idea of what I'm going to do. So when the time comes, I'm going to whip the hell out of him.

Always do everything you ask of those you command.

Lack of orders is no excuse for inaction.

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

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

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.

When I want my men to remember something important, to really make it stick, I give it to them double dirty. It may not sound nice to some bunch of little old ladies at an afternoon tea party, but it helps my soldiers to remember. You can't run an army without profanity; and it has to be eloquent profanity. An army without profanity couldn't fight its way out of a piss-soaked paper bag. As for the types of comments I make, sometimes I just, By God, get carried away with my own eloquence.