Admiral Quotes

• Admiral. That part of a warship which does the talking while the figurehead does the thinking.

  Ambrose Bierce

  War, Army, Thinking

  Ambrose Bierce (2011). “Ambrose Bierce: The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs: The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs”, p.568, Library of America

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• Ford used to come to work in a big car with two Admiral's flags, on each side of the car. His assistant would be there with his accordion, playing, Hail to the Chief.

  Richard Widmark

  Two Sides, Car, Would Be

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• The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country.

  Donald Rumsfeld

  Country, Exercise, Tasks

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• The main American naval forces were shifted to the Pacific region and an American admiral made a strong declaration to the effect that if war were to break out between Japan and the United States, the Japanese navy could be sunk in a matter of weeks.

  Hideki Tojo

  Strong, War, Japan

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• Another nice thing was that I would type out letters home for the admiral's stewards. They would then feed me the same food the admiral ate.

  Jack Adams

  Nice, Home, Letters

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• As I passed along the side walls of Westminster Abbey, I hardly saw any thing but marble monuments of great admirals, but which were all too much loaded with finery and ornaments, to make on me at least, the intended impression.

  Karl Philipp Moritz

  Wall, Ornaments, Literature

  Karl Philipp Moritz (2010). “Travels in England in 1782”, p.55, BoD – Books on Demand

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• A man's judgment is best when he can forget himself and any reputation he may have acquired and can concentrate wholly on making the right decisions.

  Raymond A. Spruance

  Business, Men, Decision

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• There aren't any great men. There are just great challenges that ordinary men like you and me are forced by circumstances to meet.

  William Halsey

  Greatness, Men, Volunteer

  "Fictional character: Fleet Adm. William F. Halsey Jr". "The Gallant Hours", 1960.

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• If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.

  William H. McRaven

  Motivational, Military, Littles

  "Adm. McRaven Urges Graduates to Find Courage to Change the World". Remarks by Naval Adm. William H. McRaven, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, at the University-wide Commencement at The University of Texas at Austin, news.utexas.edu. May 16, 2014.

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• [Admiral Nelson's counsel] guided me time and again. On the eve of the critical battle of Santa Cruz, in which the Japanese ships outnumbered ours more than two to one, I sent my task force commanders this dispatch: ATTACK REPEAT ATTACK. They did attack, heroically, and when the battle was done, the enemy turned away. All problems, personal, national, or combat, become smaller if you don't dodge them, but confront them. Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly, and its spines crumble. Carry the battle to the enemy! Lay your ship alongside his!

  William Halsey

  Courage, Two, Enemy

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• It isn't that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better.

  Francis Drake

  Inspirational, Funny, Life

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• The challenge of education is not to prepare a person for success, but to prepare him for failure.

  James Stockdale

  Success, Education, Failure

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• Any commander who fails to exceed his authority is not of much use to his subordinates.

  Arleigh Burke

  Leadership, Navy, Use

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• The surer of himself an admiral is, the finer the tactical development of his fleet, the better his captains, the more reluctant must he necessarily be to enter into a melee with equal forces, in which all these advantages will be thrown away, chance reign supreme, and his fleet be place on terms of equality with an assemblage of ships which have never before acted together.

  Alfred Thayer Mahan

  Together, Development, Sea Power

  Alfred Thayer Mahan (2010). “Sea Power and World History: 1660-1783”, p.7, Fireship Press

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• An admiral without ships, a hand without fingers, in service of a king without a throne. Is this a knight who comes before us, or the answer to a child's riddle?

  George R. R. Martin

  Kings, Children, Knights

  George R. R. Martin (2012). “George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones 5-Book Boxed Set (Song of Ice and Fire Series): A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and and A Dance with Dragons”, p.3332, Bantam

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• Throughout my professional life, I have looked upon the Corps as a most valuable part of our naval organization, and this opinion has only been the more confirmed by every year's additional experience in active service.

  Samuel Francis Du Pont

  Life, Military, Marine

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• An admiral should be put to death now and then to encourage the others.

  Voltaire

  Peace, War, Now And Then

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• I had learned volleyball in the Navy, where all the captains and admirals wanted to be spikers, and I found then that a man who can subdue his own desires and master the art of serving others can make himself invaluable. In choosing sides the team captain always chose the good spikers on the first and second choice, but then the spikers would grab his arm and whisper, 'Take Michener.' I was never chosen lower than third, because I was needed. I wasn't good, but I was faithful.

  James A. Michener

  Sports, Volleyball, Art

  James A. Michener (2014). “Sports in America”, p.601, Dial Press

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• A policeman in plain clothes is a man; in his uniform he is ten. Clothes and title are the most potent thing, the most formidable influence, in the earth. They move the human race to willing and spontaneous respect for the judge, the general, the admiral, the bishop, the ambassador, the frivolous earl, the idiot duke, the sultan, the king, the emperor. No great title is efficient without clothes to support it.

  Mark Twain

  Kings, Moving, Men

  Mark Twain (2017). “The Complete Works of Mark Twain (Illustrated Edition): Novels, Short Stories, Memoir, Travel Books, Letters, Biography, Articles & Speeches: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, Yankee in King Arthur's Court…”, p.5021, e-artnow

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• Admirals extolled for standing still, or doing nothing with a deal of skill.

  William Cowper

  War, Skills, Doing Nothing

  'Table Talk' (1782) l. 192

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• Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue.

  Chester W. Nimitz

  Military, War, Marine

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• When the supreme violence of a furious wind upon the sea sweeps over the waters the chief admiral of a fleet along with his mighty legions, does he not crave the gods' peace with vows and in his panic seek with prayers the peace of the winds and favouring breezes. Nonetheless, he is caught up in the furious hurricane and driven upon the shoals of death.

  Lucretius

  Prayer, Wind, Sea

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• I am the son and grandson of Navy admirals, and I was born into America's service. It wasn't until I was deprived of her company that I fell in love with America.

  John McCain

  Son, America, Navy

  John McCain's Announcement Speech in New Hampshire, www.mccain.senate.gov. September 27, 1999.

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• The lad who dreams of being a boxing champion or an admiral chooses reality. If the writer chooses the imaginary, he confuses the two.

  Jean-Paul Sartre

  Dream, Reality, Two

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• I will say I would leave many of the decisions of some of the things you mentioned to the generals, the admirals, the people on top, and we get some of the - the Congressmen just mentioned to me and I - I think it's true 100 percent, you get your top enlisted people in that and you have some discussions with some of these top enlisted people who know it better than probably anybody.

  Donald Trump

  Thinking, People, Decision

  Source: time.com

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