Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.
James MattisRead
The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.
Interpretation
The greatest battles are fought in our minds, emphasizing mental strength over physical prowess.
This quote by James Mattis highlights the importance of mental fortitude and strategic thinking in overcoming challenges, particularly in high-pressure situations like a battlefield. It suggests that while physical skill is valuable, success is often determined by one's mindset, decision-making, and mental resilience.
In practice
During a motivational talk, to inspire soldiers before deployment.
Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.
I would happily storm hell in the company of these troops ... how strongly they have demonstrated to the world that free men and women can fight like the dickens.
For the mission's sake, our country's sake, and the sake of the men who carried the Division's colors in the past battles - who fought for life and never lost their nerve - carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy" than a U.S. Marine.
You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it's going to be bad.
We've backed off in good faith to try and give you a chance to straighten this problem out. But I am going to beg with you for a minute. I'm going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.
Demonstrate to the world there is "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy" than a U.S. Marine.
The best protection any woman can have... is courage.
Don't be scared to look for help. Depression is real... It's crazy, and all these guys, us athletes, that keep thinking we're superheroes. I like to think I'm a superhero, but superheroes got to fight their demons, too, sometimes.
Take courage. We walk in the wilderness today and in the Promised Land tomorrow
The fact is, violence is not only not a beautiful thing, but it's also very painful and not without consequences for the perpetrator as well as the victim.
Let's suppose somebody abused you sexually. You still had a choice, though not a good one, about what to tell yourself about the abuse.
PTSD occurs following a trauma that was so awful that in retrospect you don't understand how you survived. What that causes is an extreme feeling of vulnerability that you get past but that doesn't go away.
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