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.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the struggles of identity and the enduring nature of the self through various experiences.
In this quote, George S. Patton contemplates the essence of one's identity through the struggles of life. Despite engaging in numerous battles and facing various challenges under different roles and names, the core self remains unchanged. It emphasizes the conflict between external circumstances and the enduring nature of personal identity, suggesting that regardless of how one is perceived or the roles they play, their true essence persists across different situations.
In practice
In a speech discussing personal growth and resilience.
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 fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widely spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.
One nation is to another what one individual is to another; with this melancholy distinction perhaps, that the former with fewer of the benevolent emotions than the latter, are under fewer restraints also from taking undue advantage of the indiscretions of each other.
If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.
I was not, I was, I am not, I care not. (Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo)
The wicked exist in this world either to be converted or that through them the good may exercise patience.
Indifference is the dead weight of history.
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