Col Hackworth Quotes & Sayings

So it's not a matter of the military lying to the press, but it's the job of the military to deny the press any information that will provide aid and comfort to the enemy. — David Hackworth

We ignore the blackness of outer space and pay attention to the stars, especially if they seem to order themselves into constellations. "Common as the air" meant something worthless, but Hackworth knew that every breath of air that Fiona drew, lying in her little bed at night, just a silver flow in the moonlight, was used by her body to make skin and hair and bones. The air became Fiona, and deserving - no, demanding - of love. Ordering matter was the sole endeavor of Life, whether it was a jumble of self-replicating molecules in the primordial ocean, or a steam-powered English mill turning weeds into clothing, or Fiona lying in her bed turning air into Fiona. — Neal Stephenson

If a policy is wrongheaded feckless and corrupt I take it personally and consider it a moral obligation to sound off and not shut up until it's fixed. — David H. Hackworth

The human race could go extinct and I for one would not shed any tears. — David Foreman

For every dollar that is spent on the (boondoggle) bridge a dollar will be taken away from taxpayers. If the bridge costs $1,000,000 the taxpayers will lose $1,000, 000. They will have that much taken away from them which they would otherwise have spent on the things they needed most. — Henry Hazlitt

The old saying that war is a racket has taken on an even more shameful meaning. — David Hackworth

Terrorism, too, must be excised wherever it exists, which will take years, and which can't happen without the total commitment and the everyday involvement of the American people. — David Hackworth

Our generals talk a good game about taking care of their grunts, and the majority of our Beltway politicians bay with moralistic fervor about how they, too, support the troops. — David Hackworth

Fortunately, it's still not too late to develop a comprehensive global strategy to eliminate our real enemy. — David Hackworth

That's because international Islamic religious fanatics have the same goal as the Axis fascists - the destruction of our way of life. — David Hackworth

Because our homeland and very survival are once more at stake, the American people can't afford to treat this new war against terrorism like they did Vietnam. — David Hackworth

What we need to do is follow the axiom of World War II which was 'Loose Lips Sink Ships' and the media has really got to follow that. — David Hackworth

That's what supporting the troops is really all about - making sure American grunts get the right stuff! — David Hackworth

Respecting your opponent is the key to winning any bout. Hold your enemy in contempt and you may miss the strategy behind his moves — David Hackworth

It's human nature to start taking things for granted again when danger isn't banging loudly on the door. — David Hackworth

The universe was a disorderly mess, the only interesting bits being the organised anomalies. Hackworth had once taken his family out rowing on the pond in the park, and the ends of the yellow oars spun off compact vortices, and Fiona, who had taught herself the physics of liquids through numerous experimental beverage spills and in the bathtub, demanded an explanation for these holes in water. She leaned over the gunwale, Gwendolyn holding the sash of her dress, and felt those vortices with her hands, wanting to understand them. The rest of the pond, simply water in no particular order, was uninteresting. — Neal Stephenson

War is the ultimate reality-based horror show. — David Hackworth

Of course, it's imperative that we stabilize Iraq and quickly reduce our armed role there. — David Hackworth

You have to decide what level you want to participate in your children's lives. The more you do, the better your relationship is going to be. You have to listen to your instincts. You know when it's time to lay down the law. — Laird Hamilton

We citizens don't need to know every detail of every military operation in this new kind of war. Nor should the media tell us and hence our enemy. — David Hackworth

Our fumbling government's response since Beirut - during both Republican and Democratic administrations - has been to cut and run, or to flat ignore this growing threat, apparently hoping it would go away. — David Hackworth

In my presidency I've been guided by what's right, not what's popular. — Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

I thought we stopped using grunts as guinea pigs decades ago. Even the Nazis didn't run medical experiments on their own troops in combat. This book explodes like a grenade in the Pentagon's privy. Red it and weep; better yet, get mad."

Col. David H. Hackworth (U.S. Army, ret.) — Gary Matsumoto

Fighting terrorism is not unlike fighting a deadly cancer. It can't be treated just where it's visible - every diseased cell in the body must be destroyed. — David Hackworth

Only a foolish woman would allow her man to earn his living as a moving target. — David H. Hackworth

Grunts on the line, where the enemy wants them dead, still goof off - even knowing that by letting their guard down they might die. — David Hackworth

It's the little things that make up life. — Jenny Han

Writing with you is the only thing that keeps me alive. — David Hackworth

Their plan is to return the entire world - not just the Middle East - to the days of the caliphate and either convert all of us so-called infidels into born-again Islamic believers or kill us. — David Hackworth

Modern American war is as easy to script as a B movie. — David Hackworth

In order to drill into young men the need to stay alert and stay alive, I used to punish offenders with my fists, boots and rifle butt, and with stockade time. — David Hackworth