550 Best Military Quotes on Leadership, Teamwork to Inspire You

They do their absolute best to safeguard our opportunity, and these tactical statements act as an incredible wake up call of it. The fearless people of the military ought to constantly be regarded for their penance, and these tactical statements are the ideal words.

It takes a lot of mental fortitude and forfeit to do what our fighters do. A significant number of these incredible people have groups of their own who they need to abandon as they go to guard their country.

The least we can accomplish for our tactical people is to respect and be appreciative for their unselfish deeds. In that regard, beneath are a few extraordinary military statements to celebrate and respect our fearless warriors and veterans.

Military quotes about the generals

1. โ€œWar is too important to be left to the generals.โ€- Georges Clรฉmenceau

2. โ€œBrave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.โ€ โ€“ Lucius Annaeus Seneca

3. โ€œTo command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.โ€ โ€“ Andre Malraux

4. โ€œThis will remain the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave.โ€ โ€“Elmer Davis

5. โ€œWho dares, wins. Who sweats, wins. Who plans, wins.โ€ โ€“ British Special Air Service (SAS)

6. โ€œIf a man hasnโ€™t discovered something that he will die for, he isnโ€™t fit to live.โ€ โ€“ Martin Luther King Jr.

7. โ€œFortune favors the brave.โ€ โ€“ Terence

8. โ€Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free.โ€ โ€“ Dwight D. Eisenhower

9. โ€I donโ€™t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me.โ€ โ€“ The Duke of Wellington

10. โ€œThose who stand for nothing fall for anything.โ€ โ€“ Alexander Hamilton

11. โ€No guts, no glory.โ€ โ€“ Major Gen. Frederick C. Blesse

12. โ€If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didnโ€™t plan your mission properly.โ€ โ€“ David Hackworth

13. โ€œThe harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.โ€ โ€“ Thomas Paine

14. โ€œAmerica without her Soldiers would be like God without His angels.โ€ โ€“ Claudia Pemberton

15. โ€œA safe army is better than a safe borderโ€ โ€“ B.R. Ambedkar

16. โ€œWe live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns.โ€ โ€“ Aaron Sorkin

17. โ€œNo man is a man until he has been a soldier.โ€ โ€“ Louis de Berniรจres

18. โ€œCowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste death but once.โ€ โ€“ William Shakespeare

19. โ€œHe loves his country best who strives to make it best.โ€ โ€“ Robert G. Ingersoll

20. โ€œThis nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.โ€ โ€“ Elmer Davis

Military quotes to inspire freedom

military quotes

21. โ€œSometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the Gun down.โ€- Malcolm X

22. โ€œBravery is being the only one who knows youโ€™re afraid.โ€ โ€“ Colonel David Hackworth

23. โ€œI am not afraid of an Army of lions lead by a sheep; I am afraid of sheep lead by a lion.โ€ โ€“ Alexander the Great

24. โ€œThe Army is the true nobility of our country.โ€ โ€“ Napoleon Bonaparte

25. โ€œHow important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!โ€ โ€“ Maya Angelou

26. โ€œTrue courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job.โ€ โ€“ Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr

27. โ€œThe hand of the aggressor is stayed by strength โ€” and strength alone.โ€ โ€“ Dwight D. Eisenhower

28. โ€œI only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.โ€ โ€“ Nathan Hale

29. โ€œNever forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.โ€ โ€“ Carl von Clausewitz

30. โ€œA ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons.โ€ โ€“ Admiral David D. Porter

Military quotes about marines

31. โ€œAny man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: โ€˜I served in the United States Navy.โ€- John F. Kennedy

32. โ€œFrom time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots. โ€• Thomas Jefferson

33. โ€œDiscipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all. โ€• George Washington

34. โ€This country has not seen and probably will never know the true level of sacrifice of our veterans. As a civilian, I owe an unpayable debt to all our military. Going forward letโ€™s not send our servicemen and women off to war or conflict zones unless it is overwhelmingly justifiable and on moral high ground.โ€- Thomas M Smith

35. โ€œWar is the greatest evil Satan has invented to corrupt our hearts and souls. We should honor our soldiers, but we should never honor war.โ€- Dean Hughes

36. โ€œWe sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.โ€- George Orwell

37. โ€Heroism doesnโ€™t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.โ€- Mary Roach

38. โ€Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.โ€ โ€“ Douglas MacArthur

39. โ€œWhat counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fightโ€”itโ€™s the size of the fight in the dog.โ€- President Dwight D. Eisenhower

40. โ€œI can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: โ€˜I served in the United States Navy.โ€- John F. Kennedy

Military quotes to make you strong

41. โ€œThe soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for oneโ€™s countryโ€- George S. Patton Jr.

42. โ€œOut of every one hundred men, ten shouldnโ€™t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.โ€- Heraclitus

43. โ€œFreedom is never free.โ€ โ€“ Anonymous

44. โ€œIt doesnโ€™t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.โ€ โ€” General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

45. โ€œWe must never forget why we have, and why we need our military. Our armed forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every one of us can sleep soundly at night, knowing we have โ€˜guardians at the gate.โ€- Allen West

46. โ€œNever tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.โ€ โ€“ George S. Patton Jr.

47. โ€œThe true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.โ€ โ€“ G.K. Chesterton

48. โ€œThe military might of a country represents its national strength. Only when it builds up its military might in every way can it develop into a thriving country.โ€ โ€“ Kim Jong-un

49. โ€œWe sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us.โ€ โ€“ Winston S. Churchill

50. โ€œIt is a proud privilege to be a soldier โ€“ a good soldier โ€ฆ [with] discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self-confidence born of demonstrated ability.โ€ โ€• George S. Patton Jr.

Military quotes to elevate your perspective

military quotes about life

51. โ€œIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.โ€- George S. Patton Jr.

52. โ€œNever give in, never give in, never, never, never, neverโ€”in nothing, great or small, large or pettyโ€”never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.โ€ โ€“ Winston Churchill

53. โ€œI donโ€™t measure a manโ€™s success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom.โ€ โ€“ General George S. Patton

54. โ€œA man has integrity if his interest in the good of the service is at all times greater than his personal pride, and when he holds himself to the same line of duty when unobserved as he would follow if his superiors were present.โ€ โ€“ General S.L.A. Marshall

55. โ€œOn the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.โ€ โ€“ Dan Lipinski

56. โ€œIf you canโ€™t experience the humanity of people who donโ€™t look like you, youโ€™re not civilized enough to be an officer of the peace.โ€โ€• Ann Medlock

57. โ€œWhen things go wrong in your command, start wading for the reason in increasing larger concentric circles around your own desk.โ€ โ€“ General Bruce D. Clark

58. โ€œWe often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.โ€ โ€“ Cynthia Ozick

59. โ€œSurprise is an event that occurs in the mind of an enemy commander.โ€โ€• Jerry Pournelle

60. โ€œA hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.โ€- Joseph Campbell

If youโ€™re enjoying these quotes, youโ€™ll love our collection of Joseph Campbell quotes to inspire long term thinking.

61. โ€œNo man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.โ€- Gen. Douglas MacArthur

62. โ€œTrue patriotism isnโ€™t cheap. Itโ€™s about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going.โ€ โ€“ Robert Reich

63. โ€œIf your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.โ€ โ€“ John Quincy Adams

64. โ€œSoldiers can sometimes make decisions that are smarter than the orders they have been given.โ€ โ€“ Orson Scott Card, Enders Game

65. โ€œThese fallen heroes represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor โ€“ and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror.โ€ โ€“ Michael N. Castle

Military quotes that will open your eyes

66. โ€œIt would be a joke if the conduct of the victor had to be justified to the vanquished.โ€ โ€“ Napolรฉon Bonaparte

67. โ€œThere are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.โ€ โ€• Colin Powell

68. โ€œNo battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.โ€ โ€“ Helmuth von Moltke

69. โ€œThe objective of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.โ€ โ€• George Patton

70. โ€œThe pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.โ€ โ€“ William Arthur Ward

71. โ€œPeople sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.โ€ โ€• George Orwell

72. โ€œIf you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less inhuman.โ€ โ€“ Napolรฉon Bonaparte

73. โ€œI respect every soldier, from every country, who serves beside us in the hard work of history. America is grateful, and America will not forget.โ€ โ€“
George W. Bush

74. โ€œTo be prepared against surprise is to be trained. To be prepared for surprise is to be educated.โ€ โ€“ James Carse

75. โ€œThe bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.โ€ โ€“ Thucydides

Military quotes to inspire and teach

76. โ€œHow can men boast that they control their own destiny when they cannot solve the problems of war?โ€ โ€“ Billy Graham

77. โ€œThe world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.โ€ โ€“ Albert Einstein

78. โ€œThose who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.โ€ โ€“ Benjamin Franklin

79. โ€œWord to the Nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard.โ€ โ€“ John F. Kennedy

80. โ€œCould I have but a line a century hence crediting a contribution to the advance of peace, I would gladly yield every honor which has been accorded me in war.โ€ โ€“ Douglas MacArthur

81. โ€œIt is long since I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.โ€ โ€“ Alexander Hamilton
If youโ€™re enjoying these quotes, youโ€™ll love our collection of Alexander Hamilton quotes that remain true today.

82. โ€œModern war is the most highly developed of all sciences. We have perfected our weapons but failed to perfect the men who use them.โ€ โ€“ Billy Graham

83. โ€œTheyโ€™ve got us surrounded โ€” the poor bastards.โ€ โ€“ An unnamed medic

84. โ€œPeople sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.โ€ โ€“ Richard Grenier

85. โ€œLive for something rather than die for nothing.โ€ โ€“ General George S. Patton

Military quotes to motivate you

86. โ€œThe truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.โ€ โ€“ Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

87. โ€œA leader is the man who has the ability to get other people to do what they donโ€™t want to do, and like it.โ€ โ€“ Harry S. Truman

88. โ€œIn preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.โ€ โ€“ President Dwight D. Eisenhower

89. โ€œA person cannot be a Marine without honor.โ€ โ€“ General Carl Epting Mundy, Jr.

90. โ€œAmericans never quit.โ€ โ€“ General Douglas MacArthur

91. โ€œI canโ€™t see how a single man could spend his time to better advantage than in the Marines.โ€ โ€“ Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph โ€œDanโ€ Daly

92. โ€œA pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood.โ€ โ€“ General George Smith Patton, Jr.

93. โ€œA good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.โ€ โ€“ President Theodore Roosevelt

94. โ€œIt is not enough to fight. It is the spirit which we bring to the fight that decides the issue. It is morale that wins the victory.โ€ โ€“ General George Catlett Marshall

95. โ€œWe have met the enemy and they are ours.โ€ โ€“ Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry

Powerful military quotes

short military quotes

96. โ€œIt is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it.โ€โ€• Douglas MacArthur

97. โ€œThe patriotโ€™s blood is the seed of Freedomโ€™s tree.โ€ โ€“ Thomas Campbell

98. โ€œThe military donโ€™t start wars. Politicians start wars.โ€โ€• William Westmoreland

99. โ€œIn war there is no substitute for victory.โ€ โ€“ Douglas MacArthur

100. โ€œNever in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.โ€ โ€“ Winston Churchill

101. โ€œIn war, there are no unwounded soldiers.โ€ โ€“ Jose Narosky

102. โ€œWithout heroes, we are all plain people and donโ€™t know how far we can go.โ€ โ€“ Bernard Malamud

103. โ€œMilitary power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars.โ€ โ€“
George C. Marshall

104. โ€œIn preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.โ€ โ€“ Dwight D. Eisenhower

105. โ€œThe only things those people have that you donโ€™t is guts. Do you wanna live forever?โ€ โ€“ Merritt A. Edson

Military quotes to inspire and motivate

106. โ€œWar means fighting, and fighting means killing.โ€โ€• Nathan Bedford Forrest

107. โ€œOnce we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.โ€ โ€“ Ernest Hemingway

Related True Love Quotes for the Hopeless Romantic
108. โ€œNo man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.โ€ โ€“William Penn

109. โ€œSoldiers win battles and generals get the medals.โ€ โ€“ Napoleon Bonaparte

110. โ€œKnow the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never peril.โ€ โ€“ Sun Tzu
If youโ€™re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of Sun Tzu quotes from the iconic warrior and philospher.

111. โ€œBattles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates.โ€ โ€“ F. E. Adcock

112. โ€œWe shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.โ€ โ€“ Winston Churchill

113. โ€œWe make war that we may live in peace.โ€ โ€“ Aristotle

114. โ€œIf you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.โ€ โ€“ Sun Tzu

115. โ€œAmerica is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.โ€ โ€” Paul Tsongas

116. โ€œOne who loses his life for his country will get itโ€โ€• Dr.P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar

117. โ€œEvery man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier, or not having been at sea.โ€ โ€“ Samuel Johnson

118. โ€œIf I charge, follow me. If I retreat, kill me. If I die, revenge me.โ€โ€• USMC

119. โ€œThe courage of a soldier is found to be the cheapest and most common quality of human nature.โ€ โ€“ Edward Gibbon

120. โ€œAccept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.โ€ โ€“ George S. Patton

121. โ€œI loved the Army as an institution and loathed every single thing it required me to do.โ€ โ€“Simon Raven

122. โ€œItโ€™s almost worth having been in the army for the joy your freedom gives you.โ€ โ€“ John Dos Passos

123. โ€œMoral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.โ€ โ€“ George S. Patton

124. โ€œSuccess in battle is not a function of how many show up, but who they are.โ€ โ€“ Robert H. Barrow

125. โ€œSoldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them.โ€ โ€“ Napoleon Bonaparte

Powerful Military quotes

126. โ€œThose of us who have never been in the military donโ€™t understand what it is like to serve in the military.โ€โ€• Gina Barreca

127. โ€œThe army teaches boys to think like men.โ€ โ€“ Elvis Presley

128. โ€œI am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.โ€ โ€“ George S. Patton

129. โ€œI owe everything to the army.โ€ โ€“ Norman Wisdom

130. โ€œThe army is always the same. The sun and the moon change. The army knows no seasons.โ€ โ€“ Frank Nugent

131. โ€œA leader leads by example not by force.โ€ โ€“ Sun Tzu

132. โ€œAn army without culture is a dull-witted army, and a dull-witted army cannot defeat the enemy.โ€ โ€“ Mao Zedong

133. โ€œNo nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace, or ensure it of victory in time of war.โ€ โ€“ Calvin Coolidge

134. โ€œTherefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.โ€ โ€“ Sun Tzu

135. โ€œThe Army was my bread and butter.โ€ โ€“ Brian Lumley

136. โ€œThe military is not so much a job, it is more of a death sentence.โ€ โ€“ Steven Magee

137. โ€œMilitary guys are rarely as smart as they think they are, and theyโ€™ve never gotten over the fact that civilians run the military.โ€ โ€“ Maureen Dowd

138. โ€œThe military system of a nation is not an independent section of the social system but an aspect of its totality.โ€ โ€“ Tony Judt

139. โ€œBeinโ€™ a soldier is not hard. If it was, soldiers would not be able to do it.โ€ โ€“ Terry Pratchett

140. โ€œThose who do not appreciate the soldiers and instead pompously talk about peace, should try to live a single day without the soldiers.โ€ โ€“ Abhijit Naskar

141. โ€œWar is life multiplied by some number that no one has ever heard of.โ€ โ€“ Sebastian Junger

142. โ€œThe power of the army is his weapon, the power of the homeland is his lovers.โ€ โ€“ Azadshah Ganjali

143. โ€œHeroes may not live long in years, but they live forever in the stories.โ€ โ€“ Amit Kalantri

144. โ€œThe heroโ€™s sacrifice becomes just the story for people.โ€ โ€“ Amit Kalantri

145. โ€œCivilians enjoy their time because soldiers sacrifice their time.โ€ โ€“ Amit Kalantri

Military Quotes from Historic Americans

146. โ€œTo us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the countryโ€™s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.โ€ โ€“ Woodrow Wilson

147. โ€œTo be prepared for war is one of the most โ€œeffectual means of preserving peace.โ€ โ€“ George Washington

148. โ€œI canโ€™t spare this man, he fights!โ€ โ€“ Abraham Lincoln

149. โ€œThen join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.โ€ โ€“ John Dickinson

150. โ€œSome people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines donโ€™t have that problem.โ€ โ€“ Ronald Reagan

151. โ€œHere men endured that a nation might live.โ€ โ€“ Herbert Hoover

152. โ€œEvery citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.โ€ โ€“ Thomas Jefferson

153. โ€œDiscipline is the soul of an army.โ€ โ€“ George Washington

154. โ€œI almost always feel inclined, when I happen to say anything to soldiers, to impress upon them in a few brief remarks the importance of success in this contest,โ€ โ€“ Abraham Lincoln

155. โ€œIt is a proud privilege to be a soldier โ€“ a good soldier [with]discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self-confidence born of demonstrated ability.โ€ โ€“ George S. Patton Jr.

156. โ€œAlthough a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace.โ€ โ€“ Ulysses S. Grant

Military quotes from the past

146. โ€œIt is of the nature of war to increase the executive at the expense of the legislative authority.โ€ โ€“ Alexander Hamilton

147. โ€œWar makes extremely heavy demands on the soldierโ€™s strength and nerves. For this reason, make heavy demands on your men in peacetime exercises.โ€ โ€“ General Field Marshall Erwin Rommel

148. โ€œIt is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it.โ€ โ€“ General Robert E. Lee

149. โ€œIn every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten; then he who continues the attack wins.โ€ โ€“ General Ulysses S. Grant

150. โ€œWhen things go wrong in your command, start wading for the reason in increasingly larger concentric circles around your own desk.โ€ โ€“ General Bruce C. Clarke

151. โ€œIf officers desire to have control over their commands, they must remain habitually with them, industriously attend to their instruction and comfort, and in battle lead them well.โ€ โ€“ General Stonewall Jackson

152. โ€œMotivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.โ€ โ€“ Dwight D. Eisenhower

153. โ€œAn army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep.โ€ โ€“ Alexander the Great

154. โ€œGreat is the guilt of an unnecessary war.โ€ โ€“ John Adams

155. โ€œNow we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.โ€ โ€“ Abraham Lincoln

156. โ€œBoth parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.โ€ โ€“ Abraham Lincoln

Military quotes about the brave men and women who serve

funny military quotes

157. โ€œBravery is being the only one who knows youโ€™re afraid.โ€ โ€” Franklin P. Jones

158. โ€œThere is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.โ€ โ€” Gen. James H. Doolittle

159. โ€œPerseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.โ€ โ€” Walter Elliot

160. โ€œSuccess is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.โ€ โ€” Winston S. Churchill

161. โ€œThere is no honor in sending men to die for something you wonโ€™t even fight for yourself.โ€ โ€” Mark Owen

162. โ€œYou can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Donโ€™t ever count on having both at once.โ€ โ€” Robert A. Heinlein

163. โ€œPerseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.โ€ โ€” Newt Gingrich

164. โ€œWhen the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when honor scorns to compromise with death โ€” that is heroism.โ€ โ€” Robert Green Ingersoll

165. โ€œWar must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.โ€ โ€” J.R.R. Tolkien

166. โ€œFor the first time in a long time, I felt like I had a purpose being in the Navy. It wasnโ€™t about money and rank or prestige. It was about raising the flag. We do what we do because no one else can or will do it. We fight so others can sleep at night. And I had forgotten that.โ€ โ€” Timothy Ciciora

Military quotes from varying perspectives

167. โ€œMilitary intelligence is a contradiction in terms.โ€ โ€” Groucho Marx

168. โ€œMan is a military animal, glories in gunpowder, and loves parade.โ€ โ€” Philip James Bailey

169. โ€œThe world has nothing to fear from military ambition in our Government.โ€ โ€” James K. Polk

170. โ€œThere are no military solutions โ€“ dialogue and diplomacy are the only guarantee of lasting peace.โ€ โ€” Martin McGuinness

171. โ€œI saw courage both in the Vietnam War and in the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service.โ€ โ€” John F. Kerry

172. โ€œRich people donโ€™t like to be in the military. The shoes are ugly and the uniforms itch. Rich people donโ€™t go in much for revolution or terrorism, either.โ€ โ€” P. J. Oโ€™Rourke

173. โ€œA nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.โ€ โ€” Martin Luther King, Jr.

174. โ€œStrong government doesnโ€™t mean simply military power or an efficient intelligence apparatus. Instead, it should mean effective, fair administration โ€“ in other words, โ€˜good governance.โ€™โ€ โ€” Raghuram Rajan

175. โ€œReal heroes donโ€™t wear capes. Real superheroes wear uniforms and badges and stethoscopes! Real superheroes are members of our military, law enforcement, and first responders. Pretend superheroes wear capes!โ€ โ€” Dean Cain

176. โ€œWe cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that weโ€™ve set. Weโ€™ve got to have a civilian national security force thatโ€™s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.โ€ โ€” Barack Obama

Military quotes on leadership

177. โ€œA true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.โ€ โ€“ General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur

178. โ€œYou manage things; you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership. It might help if we ran the MBAs out of Washington.โ€ โ€” Rear Adm. Grace Murray Hooper

179. โ€œLeadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.โ€ โ€“ General Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army

180. โ€œA leader is a man who can adapt principles to circumstances.โ€ โ€“ George S. Patton

181. โ€œIt is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.โ€ โ€“ Major General William T. Sherman, U.S. Army

182. โ€œEffective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.โ€ โ€“ Colin Powell

183. โ€œThe more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.โ€ โ€“ General Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army

184. โ€œThe day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them.โ€ โ€“ Colin Powell

185. โ€œAny soldier worth his salt should be antiwar. And still there are things worth fighting for.โ€ โ€“ General Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army

186. โ€œBe willing to make decisions. Thatโ€™s the most important quality in a good leader.โ€ โ€“ General George S. Patton

Military quotes about Navy SEALs and discipline

military quotes on leadership

187. โ€œWhat the SEAL teams do, what our training does, is it chips away the outer layer and shows you what youโ€™re capable of and not capable of.โ€ โ€“ Marcus Luttrell

188. โ€œNavy SEALs Say when you are under pressure you donโ€™t rise to the occasion. You sink to the level of your training. Train well.โ€ โ€“ Jon Gordon

189. โ€œThe Navy is much more than a job; much more than service to the country. It is a way of life. It gets in your blood.โ€ โ€“ Albert F. Pratt

190. โ€œGET UP. AND. GO. Take the risk, take the gamble, take the first step. Take action. And donโ€™t let another day slip by.โ€ โ€“ Jocko Willink

191. โ€œDiscipline equals freedom.โ€ โ€“ Jocko Willink

192. โ€œStay low, go fast. Kill first, die last. One shot, one kill. No luck, all skill.โ€ โ€“ US Navy SEALs

193. โ€œI have to face the final battle by myself, maybe lonely, maybe desolate, maybe against formidable odds. But I was not giving up.โ€ โ€“ Marcus Luttrell

194. โ€œIf youโ€™ve never met a Navy SEAL and you ran into one at a bar, you probably still wouldnโ€™t know heโ€™s a Navy SEAL.โ€ โ€“ Howard E. Wasdin

195. โ€œThey could beat you, run you, make you endure untold cold and pain, and kill youโ€ฆ but they could never make you quit.โ€ โ€“ Walter Diaczenko

196. โ€œTruly โ€“ my mind never told me to give up though my body was beaten down.โ€ โ€“ Stew Smith

Military Quotes To Appreciate Their Selfless Nature

197. โ€œThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.โ€ โ€” Douglas MacArthur

198. โ€œI learned that good judgment comes from experience and that experience grows out of mistakes.โ€ โ€” Omar N. Bradley

199. โ€œSome of you young men think that war is all glamour and glory, but let me tell you, boys, it is all hell!โ€ โ€” William Tecumseh Sherman

200. โ€œMilitary justice is to justice what military music is to music.โ€ โ€” Groucho Marx

201. โ€œThe military weapon is but one of the means that serve the purposes of war: one out of the assortment which grand strategy can employ.โ€ โ€” B. H. Liddell Hart

202. โ€œA military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.โ€ โ€” Sun Tzu

203. โ€œPatriotism is a lively sense of collective responsibility.โ€ โ€” Richard Aldington

204. โ€œThe military weapon is but one of the means that serve the purposes of war: one out of the assortment which grand strategy can employ.โ€ โ€” B. H. Liddell Hart

205. โ€œOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.โ€ โ€” Douglas MacArthur

206. โ€œSo the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.โ€ โ€” Sun Tzu

Inspirational quotes for soldiers about leadership

  • If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live. โ€“ Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • The truth is that you always know the right thing to do. The tough part is doing it. โ€“ General Norman Schwarzkopf
  • The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him but because he loves what is behind him. โ€“ G.K. Chesterton
  • To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less. โ€“ Andre Malraux
  • The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch their leaders’ actions. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow. โ€“ General Colin Powell
  • We live in a world that has walls, and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns. โ€“ Aaron Sorkin
  • Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, neverโ€”in nothing, great or small, large or pettyโ€”never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. โ€“ Winston Churchill
  • The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten. โ€“ Calvin Coolidge
  • We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf. โ€“ George Orwell
  • Those who stand for nothing fall for anything. โ€“ Alexander Hamilton
  • Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free. โ€“ Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success for the weak and esteem for all. โ€“ George Washington
  • Out of every hundred men, ten should not even be there; eighty are just targets, nine are real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one is a warrior who will bring the others back. โ€“ Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher
  • If there is no war, you don’t get the great general; if there is not a great occasion, you don’t get a great statesman; if Lincoln had lived in a time of peace, no one would have known his name. โ€“ Theodore Roosevelt
  • Battles are won by slaughter and manoeuvre. The greater the general, the more he contributes to manoeuvre, and the less he demands in slaughter. โ€“ Winston S. Churchill
  • The supreme quality of leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, whether on a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office. โ€“ Dwight Eisenhower
  • If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly. โ€“ David Hackworth.
  • What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fightโ€”it’s the size of the fight in the dog. โ€“ President Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it except as a means of peace. โ€“ Ulysses S. Grant
  • We fight to win and win with a knockout because there are no runners-up in war. โ€“ Gen. JJ Singh
  • If you’re never satisfied with what you have achieved, you’re never going to be satisfied with what you do achieve. โ€“ Chris LoCurto
  • We do not seek peace to be at war, but we go to war so that we may have peace. Therefore, be peaceful in warring so that you may conquer those you war against and bring them to the prosperity of peace. โ€“ St. Augustine
  • The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. โ€“ Ronald Reagan

Inspirational quotes for the military

sweet military quotes

  1. Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history. โ€“ Mary Roach
  2. I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor food; I offer only hunger, thirst, forced marches, battles, and death. Let him who loves his country with his heart, not merely his lips, follow me. Soldier, patriot, and the uniter of modern Italy. โ€“ Giuseppe Garibaldi
  3. Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste death but once. โ€“ William Shakespeare
  4. This will remain the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave. โ€“ Elmer Davis
  5. Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid. โ€“ Colonel David Hackworth
  6. This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. โ€“ Elmer Davis
  7. There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer. โ€“ Gen. James H. Doolittle
  8. When things go wrong in your command, start wading for a reason in increasingly larger concentric circles around your desk. โ€” General Bruce D. Clark
  9. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. โ€“ Patrick Henry
  10. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
  11. Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them.

Military quotes to uplift your mood

  • Who sweats, wins. Who plans, wins. โ€“ British Special Air Service (SAS)
  • Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way. โ€“ General George S. Patton Jr
  • No guts, no glory. โ€“ Major Gen. Frederick C. Blessed
  • I hear a lot of cr*p about what a glorious thing it is to die for your country. It is not glorious โ€“ it is stupid! You do not go into battle to die for your country. You go into battle to make the other b*stard die for his country. โ€“ General George S. Patton, Jr.
  • I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of sheep led by a lion. โ€“ Alexander the Great
  • The world is dangerous, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. โ€“ Albert Einstein
  • Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. โ€“ Benjamin Franklin
  • Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. โ€“ General George S. Patton
  • You can suffer numerous setbacks. The defeats, however, are vital for you to learn what you can do to overcome them and who you are.
  • The music at a wedding procession always reminds me of the music of soldiers going into battle.
  • It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. โ€“ Harry S Truman

Military quotes about sacrifice

  • It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived. โ€“ George S. Patton
  • The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. โ€“ Douglas MacArthur
  • The brave never die, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men. โ€“ Minot Judson Savage, prominent clergyman and author
  • From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots. โ€“ Thomas Jefferson
  • Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war. โ€“ Lucius Annaeus Seneca
  • On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind. โ€“ Dan Lipinski
  • The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. โ€“ William Arthur Ward
  • It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle. โ€” General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
  • A leader is a man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do and like it. โ€“ Harry S. Truman
  • There is no honour in sending men to die for something you wonโ€™t even fight for yourself. โ€“ Mark Owen
  • Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home. โ€“ Sun Tzu

Short strong military quotes

  • The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. โ€“ Thomas Paine
  • Fortune favours the brave. โ€“ Terence
  • Marines don’t cry. โ€“ Barbara Nickless
  • The army is the true nobility of our country. โ€“ Napoleon Bonaparte
  • War is too important to be left to the generals. โ€“ Georges Clรฉmenceau
  • A safe army is better than a safe border. โ€“ B.R. Ambedkar
  • No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. โ€“ James Allen
  • It is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it. โ€“ Douglas MacArthur
  • The military doesn’t start wars. Politicians start wars. โ€“ William C. Westmoreland
  • A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood. โ€“ General George Smith Patton
  • I am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight. โ€“ George S. Patton
  • Funny military quotes
  • The reason the American Army does so well in wartime is that war is chaos, and the American Army practices it on a daily basis. โ€“ Karl Dรถnitz
  • The best armour is staying out of gun-shot. โ€“ Italian proverb
  • Whoever said the pen is stronger than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons. โ€“ Douglas MacArthur
  • I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me. โ€“ The Duke of Wellington
  • The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bast*rd die for his. โ€“ George S. Patton
  • It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.
  • Military justice is to justice what military music is to music.
  • Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
  • If you see a bomb disposal technician running, try to keep up with him.
  • Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.
  • If your attack is going too well, youโ€™re probably walking into an ambush.

Encouraging words for soldiers

  • Your soul may belong to Jesus, but your *ss belongs to the marines. โ€“ Eugene B. Sledge
  • In the simple moral maxim, the Marine Corps teaches โ€” do the right thing, for the right reason โ€” no exception exists that says: unless there’s criticism or risk. D*mn the consequences. โ€“ Josh Rushing
  • Soldiers have many faults, but they have one redeeming merit; they are never worshippers of force. Soldiers, more than any other men, are taught severely and systematically that might is not right. โ€“ G. K. Chesterton
  • The Marine Corps is the Navy’s police force, and as long as I am President, that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin’s. โ€“ Harry S Truman
  • These fallen heroes represent the character of a nation that has a long history of patriotism and honour. โ€“ Michael N. Castle
  • In the military, you learn the essence of people. You see so many examples of self-sacrifice and moral courage. For the rest of your life, you don’t get many opportunities to be sure of your friends. โ€“ Adam Driver
  • Soldiers can sometimes make decisions that are smarter than the orders they have been given. โ€“ Orson Scott Card
  • In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. โ€“ Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violent on those who would harm us. โ€“ Winston S. Churchill
  • Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have made a difference in the world, but the Marines don’t have that problem. โ€“ Ronald Reagan
  • We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. โ€“ Cynthia Ozick

Military quotes about life

  1. I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. โ€“ Nathan Hale
  2. Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem. โ€“ Ronald Reagan
  3. The soldier’s heart, the soldier’s spirit, and the soldier’s soul are everything – George Marshall
  4. Soldiers, when committed to a task, can’t compromise. It’s unrelenting devotion to the standards of duty and courage, absolute loyalty to others, and not letting the task go until it’s been done. โ€“ John Keegan
  5. It is courage, courage, courage that raises the blood of life to crimson splendour. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity. โ€“ Horace
  6. Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. โ€“ Nora Ephron
  7. When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. โ€“ Willie Nelson
  8. I can imagine no more rewarding career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think, can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy. โ€“John F. Kennedy
  9. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. โ€“ Joseph Campbell
  10. One who loses his life for his country will get it. โ€“ Dr.P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar
  11. War is life multiplied by some number that no one has ever heard of. โ€“ Sebastian Junger
  12. Military mottos
  13. Whatever it takes.
  14. Better to die than to be a coward.
  15. Ready for all, yielding to none.
  16. The only easy day was yesterday.
  17. Facta non-Verba – Latin for “Deeds, not words”.
  18. We quell the storm and ride the thunder.

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