Great Throughts Treasury

"Don't tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."

"If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash."

"All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened. The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on."

"Plans must be simple and flexible… They should be made by the people who are going to execute them."

"Courage is fear holding on a minute longer. "

"If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows no fear, I have never seen a brave man. All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more frightened. The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on. Discipline, pride, self-respect, self-confidence, and the love of glory are attributes which will make a man courageous even when he is afraid."

"If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality when one knows not fear, I have never seen a brave man. All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened. The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on. Discipline, pride, self-respect, self-confidence, and the love of glory are attributes which will make a man courageous even when he is afraid. "

"It is certain that the two World Wars in which I have participated would not have occurred had we been prepared. It is my belief that adequate preparation on our part would have prevented or materially shortened all our other wars beginning with that of 1812. Yet, after each of our wars, there has always been a great hue and cry to the effect that there will be no more wars, that disarmament is the sure road to health, happiness, and peace; and that by removing the fire department, we will remove fires. These ideas spring from wishful thinking and from the erroneous belief that wars result from logical processes. There is no logic in wars. They are produced by madmen. No man can say when future madmen will reappear. I do not say that there will be no more wars; I devoutly hope that there will not, but I do say that the chances of avoiding future wars will be greatly enhanced if we are ready."

"I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom."

"Through the travail of the ages, Midst the pomp and toil of war, Have I fought and strove and perished Countless times upon this star. In the form of many people In all panoplies of time Have I seen the luring vision Of the Victory Maid, sublime. I have sinned and I have suffered, Played the hero and the knave; Fought for belly, shame, or country, And for each have found a grave. I cannot name my battles For the visions are not clear, Yet, I see the twisted faces And I feel the rending spear. I have fought with gun and cutlass On the red and slippery deck With all Hell aflame within me And a rope around my neck. So as through a glass, and darkly The age long strife I see Where I fought in many guises, Many names, but always me. And I see not in my blindness What the objects were I wrought, But as God rules o'er our bickerings It was through His will I fought. So forever in the future, Shall I battle as of yore, Dying to be born a fighter, But to die again, once more."

"A good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite point in the future."

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite time in the future."

"A leader is a man who can adapt principles to circumstances."

"A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later."

"A man is not measured by how much he can take and stand but by how fast he regains once fallen."

"A man must know his destiny… if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder… if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it."

"A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood"

"Always do everything you ask of those you command."

"Always do more than is required of you."

"A piece of spaghetti or a military unit can only be led from the front end."

"Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory."

"A real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood."

"All men are timid on entering any fight. Whether it is the first or the last fight, all of us are timid. Cowards are those who let their timidity get the better of their manhood."

"All glory is fleeting."

"All very successful commanders are prima donnas and must be so treated."

"All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don t ever let up. Don t ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain."

"All through your Army careers, you men have bitched about what you call "chicken shit drilling". That, like everything else in this Army, has a definite purpose. That purpose is alertness. Alertness must be bred into every soldier. I don't give a fuck for a man who's not always on his toes. You men are veterans or you wouldn't be here. You are ready for what's to come."

"Americans love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle."

"An incessant change of means to attain unalterable ends is always going on; we must take care not to let these sundry means undo eminence in the perspective of our minds; for, since the beginning, there has been an unending cycle of them, and for each its advocates have claimed adoption as the sole solution of successful war."

"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn't give a hoot and hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor ever lose a war."

"An Army is a team. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horse shit. The bilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting under fire than they know about fucking!"

"Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American."

"Battle is an orgy of disorder."

"An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body."

"Attack rapidly, ruthlessly, viciously, without rest, however tired and hungry you may be, the enemy will be more tired, more hungry. Keep punching."

"Audacity, audacity, always audacity."

"Anyone in any walk of life who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and to American tradition."

"Better to fight for something than live for nothing."

"Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood."

"Compared to war, all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance. God help me, I do love it so."

"Continue to advance until you run out of ammunition. Then, dig in."

"By perseverance, study, and eternal desire, any man can become great."

"Do more than is required of you."

"Coward: someone who in a bad situation thinks with his feet"

"Do not make excuses, whether it's your fault or not."

"Do everything you ask of those you command."

"Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time."

"Death can be more exciting than life."