I give it as my fixed opinion, that but for our graduated cadets, the war between the United States and Mexico might, and probably would have lasted some four or five years, with, in its first half, more defeats than victories falling to our share; whereas, in less than two campaigns, we conquered a great country and a peace without the loss of a single battle or skirmish.
Interpretation
Winfield Scott emphasizes the crucial role of military training in achieving swift victory in the Mexican-American War.
This quote by Winfield Scott highlights the importance of well-trained military forces in achieving strategic success. Scott believes that without the involvement of the graduated cadets, the conflict between the United States and Mexico could have dragged on for many years, resulting in a series of defeats for the U.S. He underscores the effectiveness of military preparedness and command in securing a swift and decisive victory with minimal loss.
In practice
During a military graduation speech, this quote can inspire cadets about the significance of their training.
Just by my home is an entrance to the sewers they used in the Warsaw uprising. I grew up knowing people died down there. Warsaw was once a battleground; then it became a morgue. It's a city littered with ghosts. And that never left me.
I understood when I was quite small that there were two special things about the Jews. That we'd endured for over 3,000 years despite everything that had been thrown at us, and that we had an extraordinarily dramatic story to tell.
Africans in the United States must remember that the slave ships brought no West Indians, no Caribbeans, no Jamaicans or Trinidadians or Barbadians to this hemisphere. The slave ships brought only African people and most of us took the semblance of nationality from the places where slave ships dropped us off.
Never to forget the Holocaust was not only against Jews. It was mostly against Jews but it was also against homosexuals, gypsies and, let's not forget, people with disability.
What distinguishes the historian from the collector of historical facts is generalization.
I have not always been wrong. History will bear me out, particularly as I shall write that history myself.
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