Best 199 quotes of George S. Patton on MyQuotes

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

Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory. Always do more than is required of you. If a man has done his best, what else is there?

Achievers are resolute in their goals and driven by determination. Discouragement is temporary, obstacles are overcome, and doubt is defeated, yielding to personal victory. You need to overcome the tug of people against you as you reach for high goals. Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.

A civil servant is sometimes like a broken cannon - it won't work and you can't fire it.

A good battle plan that you act on today can be better than a perfect one tomorrow.

A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.

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

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

All glory is fleeting.

All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened.

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

Always do everything you ask of those you command.

Always do more than is required of you.

A man must know his destiny.

A man must know his destiny. if he does not recognize it, then he is lost.

America loves a winner, and will not tolerate a loser, this is why America has never, and will never, lose a war.

Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle.

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 active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.

...an imperfect plan implemented immediately and violently will always succeed better than a perfect plan.

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.

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

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

A pint of sweat, saves a gallon of blood.

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

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.

Battle... brings out all that is best.

Battle is an orgy of disorder.

Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge.

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.

Be willing to make decisions. That's the most important quality in a good leader.

But between the plan and the operation, there is always an unknown. That unknown spells victory or defeat. ... Some people call it getting the breaks. I call it God. God has His part in everything. That's where prayer comes in.

Close the playand keep the store open nights.

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.

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.

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

Discipline can only be obtained when all the officers are imbued with the sense of their awful obligation to their men and to their country that they cannot tolerate negligence. Officers who fail to correct errors or to praise excellence are valueless in peace and dangerous misfits in war.

Discipline must be a habit so ingrained that it is stronger than the excitement of battle.

Do as I have taught you, and you will stay alive.

Do not try to make circumstances fit your plans. Make plans that fit the circumstances.

Don't fall victim to what I call the ready-aim-aim-aim-aim syndrome. You must be willing to fire.

Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time.

Duty is the essence of manhood.

Each man must not think only of himself, but also of his buddy fighting beside him. We don't want yellow cowards in this Army. They should be killed off like rats. If not, they will go home after this war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed more brave men. Kill off the Goddamned cowards and we will have a nation of brave men.

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.

Few men are killed by the bayonet, many are scared by it. Bayonets should be fixed when the fire fight starts