George S. Patton Jr. Quotes & Sayings

I am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight. — George S. Patton Jr.

Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are and probably more so. They are not supermen — George S. Patton Jr.

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer. — George S. Patton Jr.

Battle is an orgy of disorder. — George S. Patton Jr.

May God have mercy for my enemies because I won't. — George S. Patton Jr.

Do not make excuses, whether it's your fault or not. — George S. Patton Jr.

To be a successful soldier, you must know history. — George S. Patton Jr.

Better to fight for something than live for nothing. — George S. Patton Jr.

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. — George S. Patton Jr.

I hope that in the final settlement of the war, you insist that the Germans retain Lorraine, because I can imagine no greater burden than to be the owner of this nasty country where it rains every day. — George S. Patton Jr.

A real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood. — George S. Patton Jr.

The 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 one's country — George S. Patton Jr.

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. — George S. Patton Jr.

Coward: someone who in a bad situation thinks with his feet — George S. Patton Jr.

No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair. — George S. Patton Jr.

It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived. — George S. Patton Jr.

Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way. — George S. Patton Jr.

No b****** ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb b****** die for his country. — George S. Patton Jr.

No dumb bastard ever won a war by going out and dying for his country. He won it by making some other dumb bastard die for his country. — George S. Patton Jr.

I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom — George S. Patton Jr.

A man is not measured by how much he can take and stand but by how fast he regains once fallen. — George S. Patton Jr.

Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory — George S. Patton Jr.

Every man is scared in his first battle. If he says he s not he s a liar. Some men are cowards but they fight the same as the brave men or they get the hell slammed out of them watching men fight who are just as scared as they are. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared.
Some men get over their fright in a minute under fire. For some it takes an hour. For some it takes days. But a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor his sense of duty to his country and his innate manhood.
Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best and it removes all that is base. — George S. Patton Jr.

An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body. — George S. Patton Jr.

The test of success is not what you do when you are on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom. — George S. Patton Jr.

I am convinced that much more emphasis should be placed on history. The purpose of history is to learn how human beings react when exposed to the danger of wounds or death ... — George S. Patton Jr.

There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again ... You can look him straight in the eye and say, Son your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son of a Goddamned Bitch named Georgie Patton. — George S. Patton Jr.

I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me. — George S. Patton Jr.

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. — George S. Patton Jr.

Just drive down that road until you get blown up. — George S. Patton Jr.

Pressure makes diamonds — George S. Patton Jr.

A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood — George S. Patton Jr.

To Hell With Compromises — George S. Patton Jr.

Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one
thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the
body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up.
It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is
never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger
the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was
never tired ... You've always got to make the mind take over
and keep going. — George S. Patton Jr.

When in doubt, ATTACK! — George S. Patton Jr.

You cannot be disciplined in great things and undisciplined in small things. Brave undisciplined men have no chance against the discipline and valour of other men. Have you seen a few policemen handle a crowd? — George S. Patton Jr.

I don't fear failure. I only fear the slowing up of the engine inside of me which is saying, 'Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you? — George S. Patton Jr.

The only way anyone ever won a war, is to make the enemy hurt so bad that he can't stand it any more.
... George S. Patton — George S. Patton Jr.

If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do ... the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. — George S. Patton Jr.

Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men — George S. Patton Jr.

Do your duty as you see it, and damn the consequences. — George S. Patton Jr.

There are three ways that men get what they want: by planning, by working, and by praying. Any great military operation takes careful planning or thinking. Then you must have well trained troops to carry it out: that's working. But between the plan and the operation there is always an unknown. That unknown spells defeat or victory; success or failure. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. Some people call that getting the breaks. I call it God. God has His part or margin in everything. That's where prayer comes in. — George S. Patton Jr.

Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book! — George S. Patton Jr.

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. — George S. Patton Jr.

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory. — George S. Patton Jr.

An Army is a team. It lives sleeps eats and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horse shit — George S. Patton Jr.

Anyone in any walk of life who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and to American tradition. — George S. Patton Jr.

If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking. — George S. Patton Jr.

A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite time in the future. — George S. Patton Jr.

Never draw a gun on a man unless you intend to kill him. And believe me, if you do intend to kill him he will already know it. Then he will feel the cold breath of the tomb. — George S. Patton Jr.

Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage. — George S. Patton Jr.

Son, only a pimp in a Louisiana whore- house carries pearl-handled revolvers. These are ivory. — George S. Patton Jr.

Give me an Army of West Point graduates and I'll win a battle ... Give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war. — George S. Patton Jr.

Continue to advance until you run out of ammunition. Then, dig in. — George S. Patton Jr.

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. — George S. Patton Jr.

For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeteers, musicians and strange animals from conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conquerors rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children robed in white stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting. — George S. Patton Jr.