James Mattis, fully James Norman "Jim" Mattis, aka "Mad Dog"

Marines don?t know how to spell the word defeat.

No war is over until the enemy says it's over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote.

The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.

The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.

Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.

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.

Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.

There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. It?s really great.

Bloom where you are planted.

You are part of the world?s most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.

But there was another word that I learned to prioritize as I evaluated units, and that word was affection.

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.

Demonstrate to the world there is ?No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy? than a U.S. Marine.

You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn?t wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain?t got no manhood left anyway. So it?s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually it?s quite fun to fight them, you know. It?s a hell of a hoot. It?s fun to shoot some people. I?ll be right up there with you. I like brawling.

Fight with a happy heart and strong spirit.

Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they?re so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.

I come in peace. I didn?t bring artillery. But I?m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I?ll kill you all.

I don?t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.

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.

If I were to sum up what I've learned in 35 years of service, it's improvise, improvise, improvise.

It?s all the more important today that we hold our precious legacy of ferocious, ethical combat performance.