Jeff Cooper Quotes & Sayings

The best personal defense is an explosive counterattack. — Jeff Cooper

The specific course you decide upon is, within certain parameters, less important than the vigor with which you execute it. — Jeff Cooper

Not to our surprise, we discover that gun crime in Britain is up 10.9 percent since the disarmament of the private citizen. — Jeff Cooper

If a principle exists it must be immutable, for that is what a principle is - a truth standing apart from the mood of the times. — Jeff Cooper

A free man must not be told how to think, either by the government or by social activists. He may certainly be shown the right way, but he must not accept being forced into it. — Jeff Cooper

We continue to be exasperated by the view, apparently gaining momentum in certain circles, that armed robbery is okay as long as nobody gets hurt! The proper solution to armed robbery is a dead robber, on the scene. — Jeff Cooper

Anyone who willfully and maliciously attacks another without sufficient cause deserves no consideration. — Jeff Cooper

Already a couple of the faithful have sent in checks for a foundation memorial to the innocents who perished at the hands of the ninja at Waco ... I have been criticized by referring to our federal masked men as "ninja" ... Let us reflect upon the fact that a man who covers his face shows reason to be ashamed of what he is doing. A man who takes it upon himself to shed blood while concealing his identity is a revolting perversion of the warrior ethic. It has long been my conviction that a masked man with a gun is a target. I see no reason to change that view. — Jeff Cooper

The rifle is a weapon. Let there be no mistake about that. It is a tool of power, and thus dependent completely upon the moral stature of its user. It is equally useful in securing meat for the table, destroying group enemies on the battlefield, and resisting tyranny. In fact, it is the only means of resisting tyranny, since a citizenry armed with rifles simply cannot be tyrannized. — Jeff Cooper

The proper course of action, when under attack, is usually to counterattack. — Jeff Cooper

Therefore, if you are attacked, retaliate instantly. Be sudden. Be quick. Speed is your salvation. — Jeff Cooper

Democracy has many definitions, but what's in it for me is not an element of any of them. — Jeff Cooper

Without the institution of slavery, civilization would never have been achieved, for no one could ever have done anything intellectual if he had to spend all his time hewing and digging and fighting. — Jeff Cooper

A fine marksman is with a second rate rifle is far more effective than the reverse. — Jeff Cooper

Don't try to be fancy. Shoot for the center of mass. The world is full of decent people. Criminals we can do without. — Jeff Cooper

If you find yourself under lethal attack don't be kind. Be harsh. Be tough. Be ruthless. — Jeff Cooper

"What would I do if?.." By thinking tactically, we can more easily arrive at correct tactical solutions, and practice - even theoretical practice - tends to produce confidence in our solutions which, in turn, makes it easier for us, and thus quicker, to reach a decision. — Jeff Cooper

Offering democracy to an Arab is like bringing a horse to a steakhouse. — Jeff Cooper

If you don't understand weapons you don't understand fighting. If you don't understand fighting you don't understand war. If you don't understand war you don't understand history. And if you don't understand history you might as well live with your head in a sack. — Jeff Cooper

Blessed are those who, in the face of death, think only about the front sight. — Jeff Cooper

If I wasn't a trader, I would probably be in the film business in some capacity and writing in some other form. I went to NYU Film School and London Film School. — Jeff Cooper

Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands. — Jeff Cooper

The Germans gathered together ethnic divisions from all over Europe in which men of the same linguistic and cultural background could serve together. The Georgian SS division conducted itself with distinction in normal military action, but a good many people seem to think that anybody who was ever a member of the SS was automatically a war criminal. — Jeff Cooper

The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too dangerous when the streets are full of "civilians" who may or may not be armed. Poor babies! — Jeff Cooper

Know what is behind you, and pay particular attention to anything out of place. — Jeff Cooper

It may be that there is such a thing as racial memory, and it is supported by the undeniable observation that the goblins will get you if you don't watch out. — Jeff Cooper

The will to survive is not as important as the will to prevail ... the answer to criminal aggression is retaliation. — Jeff Cooper

An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it. — Jeff Cooper

Bushido is all very well in its way, but it is no match for a 30-06. — Jeff Cooper

Colonialism has a bad reputation in the modern context, but Colonial Africa was a far better place for both black and white before the colonists gave up. — Jeff Cooper

Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician. — Jeff Cooper

Now how do we cultivate an aggressive response? I think the answer is indignation ... Your response, if attacked, must not be fear, it must be anger. — Jeff Cooper

No sensible person ever opens the door of his house without knowing who is knocking. — Jeff Cooper

We are somewhat amused by the hysteria manifest in the press at the suggestion by Gordon Liddy that if one is menaced by bad guys (particularly the ninja) one is wise to shoot for the head. That statement has got a whole bunch of journalists and commentators bleeding from the nose. One wonders why it should. Where else should you shoot a man if he is probably wearing an armored vest? If you decide to shoot you have made the big decision. Where you place your shot is merely a technical matter. — Jeff Cooper

It seems that the concealed carry policy now in effect in 30 states is unfair to goblins. They cannot tell who is armed and who is not, and when their intended victim shoots back it hurts their feelings - along with other things. — Jeff Cooper

It's a matter of will. If you know that you can keep your head, and that you must keep your head, you probably will keep your head. — Jeff Cooper

You better be looking for another pitcher. — Jeff Cooper

At long last I have discovered that most shooters are not interested in firearms as tools, but rather as toys. Such people do not acquire their weapons because of what they will do, but rather to gratify the "Christmas morning joy" that we largely left behind in our childhood. — Jeff Cooper

Your physical safety is up to you, as it really always has been. — Jeff Cooper

Anyone who appears to be triggered out of watchfulness and into action by your appearance must be explained. Anyone observing you carefully must be explained. Anyone whose behavior seems to be geared to yours must be explained. If the explanation does not satisfy you, be ready to take appropriate defensive action. — Jeff Cooper

The one who fights back retains his dignity and his self-respect. — Jeff Cooper

Aggressiveness carries with it an incalculable moral edge in any combat, offensive or defensive. — Jeff Cooper

It appears that the murder rate inside prisons is ten times higher than that outside prisons. It must be due to all those Kalashnikov rifles that are issued to prisoners upon their incarceration. — Jeff Cooper

The perfect fight is one that is over before the loser really understands what is going on. The perfect defense is a counterattack that succeeds before the assailant discovers that he has bitten off more than he can chew. — Jeff Cooper

The criminal does not expect his prey to fight back. May he never choose you, but, if he does, surprise him. — Jeff Cooper

When under attack, it is necessary to evaluate the situation and to decide instantly upon a proper course of action, to be carried out immediately with all the force you can bring to bear. He who hesitates is indeed lost. Do not soliloquize. Do not delay. Be decisive. — Jeff Cooper

Any man who is a man may not, in honor, submit to threats or violence. But many men who are not cowards are simply unprepared for the fact of human savagery. — Jeff Cooper

I think the works of W.D. Gann and Robert Prechter have inspired me more than anyone else. It was from their writings that I discovered cycles, patterns, and psychology dominate the market, and that the news breaks with the cycles, not the other way around. — Jeff Cooper

What are we going to do if citizens are disarmed, and the government doesn't obey its own laws? — Jeff Cooper

The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles. — Jeff Cooper

Pick up a rifle and you change instantly from a subject to a citizen. — Jeff Cooper

Fight back! Whenever you are offered violence, fight back! The aggressor does not fear the law, so he must be taught to fear you. Whatever the risk, and at whatever the cost, fight back! — Jeff Cooper

Beware the man with one gun. He can probably use it. — Jeff Cooper

It is okay to cut your wife's throat as long as you are rich, famous - and black. — Jeff Cooper

If it is ever your misfortune to be attacked, alertness will have given you a little warning, decisiveness will have given you a proper course to pursue, and if that course is to counterattack, carry it out with everything you've got! Be indignant. Be angry. Be aggressive. — Jeff Cooper

Remember the first rule of gunfighting ... 'have a gun.' — Jeff Cooper

The media insist that crime is the major concern of the American public today. In this connection they generally push the point that a disarmed society would be a crime-free society. They will not accept the truth that if you take all the guns off the street you still will have a crime problem, whereas if you take the criminals off the street you cannot have a gun problem. — Jeff Cooper

If a felon attacks you and lives, he will reasonably conclude that he can do it again. By submitting to him, you not only imperil your own life, but you jeopardize the lives of others. — Jeff Cooper

The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory. — Jeff Cooper

Your mind-set is your primary weapon — Jeff Cooper

That is why our masters in Washington are so anxious to disarm us. They are not afraid of criminals. They are afraid of a populace which cannot be subdued by tyrants. — Jeff Cooper

[T]he only thing the United States government ever did about slavery was to abolish it. Perhaps that was a mistake, but I do not feel inclined to apologize for it. — Jeff Cooper

We thought everybody knew by now that barrel length has almost nothing to do with accuracy. I believe the myth of the superior accuracy of a long rifle dates from colonial days, when the only way to extend sight radius was to make the barrel as long as possible. It is interesting how long it takes a myth to die. — Jeff Cooper

If you must use your hands, use them with all the strength you possess ... If you choose to strike, by all means strike hard. — Jeff Cooper

The one who anticipates the action wins. The one who does not, loses. — Jeff Cooper

'Heroism' is not the same as coping. A man who does his job properly and succeeds through his own efforts is definitely to be commended, but he is not a hero in the classic sense until he deliberately lays his life on the line for a cause he deems to be greater than himself. — Jeff Cooper

Anyone who is aware of his environment knows that the peril of physical assault does exist, and that it exists everywhere and at all times. — Jeff Cooper

Speed is the absolute essence of any form of combat — Jeff Cooper

Let us remind ourselves again that the Second Amendment of the US Constitution should be referred to as the Statute of Liberty. — Jeff Cooper

The only acceptable response to the threat of lethal violence is immediate and savage counterattack. If you resist, you just may get killed. If you don't resist you almost certainly will get killed. It is a tough choice, but there is only one right answer. — Jeff Cooper

The essential thing is to bear always in mind that trouble can appear at any time.
Be aware.Be ready.Be alert. — Jeff Cooper

One correspondent, who is into psychology, notes that in his experience people who are hoplophobes are nearly always nutty in other ways, too. Hoplophobia [fear of guns], of course, is not simply an attitude but rather an aberration in which the sufferer clings to an idea which he himself knows to be unsound, such as the idea that inanimate instruments have a will of their own or that lawbreakers abide by the law. — Jeff Cooper

If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim. — Jeff Cooper

Most governments are designed to protect the government from the people, whereas the United States government was organized to protect the people from the government. — Jeff Cooper

I am sometimes perplexed by people who refer to defensive rifles, or defensive rifle shooting. The defensive arm is the pistol, since you have it at hand to meet situations that you do not anticipate. If you have the luxury of anticipating a lethal encounter, you pick up a long arm, either a rifle or a shotgun, but in that case you go on to the attack. Thus rifle shooting is offensive, and pistol shooting is defensive. Of course, life does not always duplicate theory, and there are exceptions to everything, but nevertheless the rifle is not a defensive weapon in concept. — Jeff Cooper

All the people constitute the militia - according to the Founding Fathers. Therefore every able-bodied man has a duty under the Constitution to become part of the "well-regulated" militia, specifically to understand and perform well with the individual weapon currently issued to the regular establishment ... Thus one who has not qualified himself with the M-16 may not be considered to be a responsible citizen. — Jeff Cooper

The 1911 pistol remains the service pistol of choice in the eyes of those who understand the problem. Back when we audited the FBI academy in 1947, I was told that I ought not to use my pistol in their training program because it was not fair. Maybe the first thing one should demand of his sidearm is that it be unfair. — Jeff Cooper

On the very instant that we know that our assailant intends us serious physical harm, we must work just as fast as we can. — Jeff Cooper

Observe your cat. It is difficult to surprise him. Why? Naturally his superior hearing is part of the answer, but not all of it. He moves well, using his senses fully. He is not preoccupied with irrelevancies. He's not thinking about his job or his image or his income tax. He is putting first things first, principally his physical security. Do likewise. — Jeff Cooper

I have long had a tendency to tie marksmanship to morality. The essence of good marksmanship is self-control, and self-control is the essence of good citizenship. It is too easy to say that a good shot is automatically a good man, but it would be equally incorrect to ignore the connection. — Jeff Cooper

According to Herodotus, the ancient Persians felt that what was necessary in the background of a young man entering adulthood was his ability to ride, shoot straight, and speak the truth. Perhaps we should now grant our college degrees to young men who measure up to that standard. — Jeff Cooper

We are fully justified in valuing the life and person of an intended victim more highly than the life of a pernicious assailant. The attacker must be stopped. At once and completely. — Jeff Cooper

Use your eyes. Do not enter unfamiliar areas that you cannot observe first. Make it a practice to swing wide around corners, use window glass for rearward visibility, and get something solid behind you when you pause. — Jeff Cooper

The proliferation of state concealed carry laws has evidently reduced the rate of violent street crime to a considerable extent. When the goblins do not know who is armed and who is not, their professional enthusiasm declines. Now that Britain has made sure (insofar as any law can so insure) that everybody is disarmed, the streets arem given back to the bad kid with the baseball bat. We hope they are satisfied. — Jeff Cooper

It is high time for society to stop worrying about the criminal, and to let the criminal start worrying about society. And by "society" I mean you. — Jeff Cooper

Never assume that simply having a gun makes you a marksman. You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol than you are a musician because you own a guitar. — Jeff Cooper

Let your attacker worry about his life. Don't hold back. Strike no more after he is incapable of further action, but see that he is stopped. — Jeff Cooper

Anger, as long as it is controlled anger, is no obstacle to efficiency. Self-control is one thing the sociopath does not usually possess. Use yours to his undoing. — Jeff Cooper

It is long been a principal of ours that one is no more armed because he has possession of a firearm than he is a musician because he owns a piano. There is no point in having a gun if you are not capable of using it skillfully. — Jeff Cooper

The decay of the late, great country of South Africa is beginning to become apparent. The name of the Transvaal has been officially changed to 'Gauteng.' (One of our friends has suggested that in view of this its inhabitants in the future should be referred to as Oranggautengs.) ... And now there is a move afoot to wreck the Kruger National Park, one of the wonders of the world, on the notion that a good bit of its land was 'taken from the blacks.' This idea is somewhat akin to giving Yellowstone Park back to the Blackfeet. — Jeff Cooper

Political correctness is neither political nor is it correct. It amounts to social censorship, and the sooner we spit it out, the better. — Jeff Cooper

The purpose of the pistol is to stop a fight that somebody else has started, almost always at very short range. — Jeff Cooper

In all history the only bright rays cutting the gloom of oppression have come from men who would rather get hurt than give in. — Jeff Cooper

It is true that a victim who fights back may suffer for it, but one who does not almost certainly will suffer for it. — Jeff Cooper

There ain't many troubles that a man caint fix With seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six. — Jeff Cooper

By doing what our assailant least expects us to do, we may throw him completely off ... what he usually least suspects is instant, violent counterattack, so the principle of aggressiveness is closely tied to threat of surprise. — Jeff Cooper

What you do to prevent further felonious assault, as long as the felon is still capable of action, is justified. — Jeff Cooper

It appears that the Soviets are now going to allow prayer in school. One wonders how soon the United States will catch up. — Jeff Cooper

It seems evident that the basis for civil safety is homogeneity. A culture which is socially uniform is pretty well devoid of informal violence. — Jeff Cooper

Not long ago it was easy to tell who the bad guys were. They carried Kalashnikovs. Now it is much more complicated, but one thing is sure - any man who covers his face and packs a gun is a legitimate target for any decent citizen. — Jeff Cooper