There is only one 'retirement plan' for terrorists.
Jim MattisRead
There are hunters, and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience, and alertness, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes personal responsibility in determining one's role in life, either as an aggressive pursuer or a passive recipient.
Jim Mattis' quote underscores the importance of self-discipline and awareness in shaping one's destiny. It suggests that individuals have the power to choose their stance in life's challenges—whether they take a proactive and strategic approach, becoming 'hunters,' or remain reactive and vulnerable, becoming 'victims.' This choice is dictated by how disciplined and alert one is, highlighting personal agency.
Themes
DisciplineCunningObedienceAlertnessAgency
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming challenges.
More from Jim Mattis
All quotes →Now from a distance, I look back on what the Corps taught me: to think like men of action, and to act like men of thought!
Jim MattisRead
I believe that many of my young guys lived because I didn't waste their lives because I didn't have the vision in my mind of how to destroy the enemy at least cost to our guys and to the innocents on the battlefields.
Jim MattisRead
For whatever trauma came with service in tough circumstances, we should take what we learned - take our post-traumatic growth - and, like past generations coming home, bring our sharpened strengths to bear, bring our attitude of gratitude to bear.
Jim MattisRead
Policy makers who have never served in the military continue to use the military to lead social change in this country.
Jim MattisRead
It's very hard to live with yourself if you don't stick with your moral code.
Jim MattisRead
Similar quotes
I have never seasoned a truth with the sauce of a lie in order to digest it more easily
Marguerite YourcenarRead
Dare to know! Have the courage to use your own intelligence!
Immanuel KantRead
You can attract more bees with a spoonful of sugar than a cupful of vinegar.
Saint Francis De SalesRead
To develop patience, you need someone who willfully hurts you. Such people give us real opportunities to practice tolerance. They test our inner strength in a way that even our guru cannot. Basically, patience protects us from being discouraged.
Dalai LamaRead
All who ask receive, those who seek find, and to those who knock it shall be opened. Therefore, let us knock at the beautiful garden of Scripture. It is fragrant, sweet, and blooming with various sounds of spiritual and divinely inspired birds. They sing all around our ears, capture our hearts, comfort the mourners, pacify the angry, and fill us with everlasting joy.
John Of DamascusRead
Arrogant or critical people are often people with low self-esteem who are afraid of taking risks. That's because, if you learn something new, you are then required to make mistakes in order to fully understand what you have learned.
Robert KiyosakiRead