Commanders Quotes

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  I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.

  Nathan Hale

  Inspirational, Life, Country

  Before being executed as a spy by the British, 22 September 1776, in Henry Phelps Johnston 'Nathan Hale, 1776' (1914) ch. 7.

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• Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

  Napoleon Bonaparte

  Witty, Funny Inspirational, Business

  "The Military Quotation Book" by James Charlton, (p. 93), 2002.

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• The commander must be at constant pains to keep his troops abreast of all the latest tactical experience and developments, and must insist on their practical application. He must see to it that his subordinates are trained in accordance with the latest requirements. The best form of welfare for the troops is first-class training, for this saves unnecessary casualties.

  Erwin Rommel

  Pain, Communication, Class

  174 Copy quote

• Honour may not win power, but it wins respect. And respect earns power.

  Ishida Mitsunari

  Wisdom, Respect, Winning

  "Fictional character: Mitsunari Ishida". Video Game "Samurai Warriors", 2004.

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• The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise. In my experience, the people closest to the problems are often in the best position to see the solutions. The key here is to empower and not be the bottleneck.

  Colin Powell

  Keys, People, Empowering

  50 Copy quote

• The man who commands efficiently must have obeyed others in the past, and the man who obeys dutifully is worthy of someday being a commander.

  Marcus Tullius Cicero

  Leadership, Character, Past

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• A commander in chief ought to say to himself several times a day: If the enemy should appear on my front, on my right, on my left, what would I do? And if the question finds him uncertain, he is not well placed, he is not as he should be, and he should remedy it.

  Napoleon Bonaparte

  Enemy, Should, Chiefs

  Napoleon Bonaparte “Napoleon in his own words from the French of Jules Bertaut”, Рипол Классик

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• In battles two things are usually required of the Commander-in-Chief: to make a good plan for his army and, secondly, to keep a strong reserve.

  Winston Churchill

  Strong, Army, Two

  Sir Winston Churchill, Andrew Scotland (1965). “Churchill on men and events: a selection from "Thoughts and adventures" and "Great contemporaries"”

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• But courage which goes against military expediency is stupidity, or, if it is insisted upon by a commander, irresponsibility.

  Erwin Rommel

  Courage, Military, Stupid

  Letter on November 09, 1942. "The Rommel Papers". Book edited by Basil Henry Liddell Hart. Chapter 16: "The Great Retreat," p. 347, 1953.

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• As the senior commander in Vietnam, I was aware of the potency of public opinion - and I worried about it.

  William Westmoreland

  Senior, Public Opinion, Vietnam

  14 Copy quote

• I know, you've been here a year, you think these people are normal. Well, they're not. WE'RE not. I look in the library, I call up books on my desk. Old ones, because they won't let us have anything new, but I've got a pretty good idea what children are, and we're not children. Children can lose sometimes, and nobody cares. Children aren't in armies, they aren't COMMANDERS, they don't rule over forty other kids, it's more than anybody can take and not get crazy.

  Orson Scott Card

  Children, Crazy, Book

  Orson Scott Card (2013). “Ender's Game Boxed Set: Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow”, p.134, Macmillan

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• The first quality of the commander-in-chief is a cool head to receive a correct impression of things. He should not allow himself to be confused by either good or bad news.

  Napoleon Bonaparte

  Confused, Quality, News

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• Two commanders on the same field are always one too many.

  Ulysses S. Grant

  Leadership, Two, Fields

  General Ulysses S. Grant (2013). “The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant [Illustrated – 2 volumes in one]”, p.239, Pickle Partners Publishing

  21 Copy quote

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• Knowledge is lost without putting it into practice; a man is lost due to ignorance; an army is lost without a commander; and a woman is lost without a husband.

  Chanakya

  Husband, Ignorance, Army

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• These are the times that try men's souls.

  Thomas Paine

  Veterans Day, Time, Motivation

  The American Crisis, 19 Dec. 1776

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• When orders are consistently trustworthy and observed, the relationship of a commander with his troops is satisfactory.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Order

  7 Copy quote

• To ensure victory the troops must have confidence in themselves as well as in their commanders.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  War, Victory, Troops

  15 Copy quote

• A Commander-in-Chief needs to do two things. One - tell us who the enemy is. And two - say we are fighting to win.

  Oliver North

  Fighting, Winning, Two

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• When I lost my rifle, the Army charged me 85 dollars. That is why in the Navy the Captain goes down with the ship.

  Dick Gregory

  Funny, Military, Responsibility

  36 Copy quote

• In war, when a commander becomes so bereft of reason and perspective that he fails to understand the dependence of arms on Divine guidance, he no longer deserves victory.

  Douglas MacArthur

  War, Divine Guidance, Perspective

  "Personal Quotes/ Biography". www.imdb.com.

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• But having made my decision as Commander-in-Chief based on what I am convinced is our national security interests, I will seek authorization for the use of force from the American people's representatives in Congress.

  Barack Obama

  Military, Government, Long

  "Obama at War". "Frontline", www.pbs.org.

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• In the military we are always looking for ways to leverage up our forces. Having greater communications and command and control over your forces than your enemy has over his is a force multiplier. Having greater logistics capability than the enemy is a force multiplier. Having better-trained commanders is a force multiplier. Perpetual optimism, believing in yourself, believing in your purpose, believing you will prevail, and demonstrating passion and confidence is a force multiplier. If you believe and have prepared your followers, the followers will believe.

  Colin Powell

  Military, Believe, Communication

  33 Copy quote

• Pompey had fought brilliantly and in the end routed Caesar's whole force... but either he was unable to or else he feared to push on. Caesar [said] to his friends: 'Today the enemy would have won, if they had had a commander who was a winner.'

  Plutarch

  Enemy, Pompey, Today

  "The Life of Pompey". Book by Plutarch,

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• Coalition forces have encountered serious violence in some areas of Iraq. Our military commanders report that this violence is being insticated by three groups.

  George W. Bush

  Military, Iraq, Groups

  President Bush's Press Conference at the White House, www.nytimes.com. April 13, 2004.

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• When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.

  Sun Tzu

  Art, War, Fighting

  Sun Tzu (2010). “The Art of War”, p.34, FastPencil Inc

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