There is only one 'retirement plan' for terrorists.
Jim MattisRead
There are a lot of self-imposed restrictions by people who somehow believe they have to fall in with a certain military cant. There was always a sense that we had to put things into words that would touch our troops' hearts, not just their heads.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of connecting with people emotionally rather than just intellectually in leadership roles.
Jim Mattis highlights the need for leaders, especially in military settings, to communicate in a way that resonates emotionally with their troops. He suggests that self-imposed restrictions can hinder authentic communication, and that successful leadership involves not only conveying instructions but also inspiring and touching the hearts of those they lead.
Themes
LeadershipCommunicationEmotionInspirationMilitary
In practice
Example use cases
This quote would be fitting in a speech to inspire soldiers before deployment.
More from Jim Mattis
All quotes →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.
Jim MattisRead
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.
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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
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