Military quotes
4.2K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
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"But sea power has never led to despotism. The nations that have enjoyed sea power even for a brief period-Athens, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, England, the United States-are those that have preserved freedom for themselves and have given it to others. Of the despotism to which unrestrained military power leads we have plenty of examples from Alexander to Mao."
"Many would be cowards if they had courage enough."
"Never [enter] into dispute or argument with another. I never yet saw an instance of one of two disputants convincing the other by argument. I have seen many on their getting warm, becoming rude and shooting one another."
"There are some who've forgotten why we have a military. It's not to promote war, it's to be prepared for peace."
"The dustbin of history is littered with remains of those countries that relied on diplomacy to secure their freedom. We must never forget . . . in the final analysis . . . that it is our military, industrial and economic strength that offers the best guarantee of peace for America in times of danger."
"It is no coincidence that when the thugs tried to wrest control over Grenada, there were 30 Soviet advisors and hundreds of Cuban military and paramilitary forces on the island."
"To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a regiment, a company, or a squad is better than to destroy them. For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the supreme of excellence. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence."
"Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous."
"An Army is still a crowd, though a highly organized one. It is governed by the same laws, and under the stress of war is ever tending to revert to its crowd form. Our object in peace is so to train it that the reversion will become very slow."
"In war, the moral is to the physical as three is to one."
"The fact is that every war suffers a kind of progressive degradation with every month that it continues, because such things as individual liberty and a truthful press are simply not compatible with military efficiency."
"The prison-industrial complex and the military-industrial complex are here with us and are multi-billion dollar enterprises. We can make more money off the kid in Compton if he's a criminal instead of a scholar. It's business."
"So long as nuclear weapons continue to exist, so will the temptation to threaten others with overwhelming military force."
"Nine years ago on September 14, 2001, I placed the lone vote against the 'Authorization for Use of Military Force' - an authorization that I knew would provide a blank check to wage war anywhere, at any time, and for any length."
"Military glory-that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood-that serpent's eye, that charms to destroy."
"Without a doubt, psychological warfare has proven its right to a place of dignity in our military arsenal."
"Beware the influence of the military-industrial complex."
"If the United Nations once admits that international disputes can be settled by using force, then we will have destroyed the foundation of the organization and our best hope of establishing a world order."
"Today, our brave military men and women, just as those who have gone before them, stand on alert, securing freedom at home and guarding the innocent abroad."
"To lead uninstructed people to war is to throw them away."
