Were armies to be raised whenever a speck of war is visible in our horizon, we never should have been without them. Our resources would have been exhausted on dangers which have never happened, instead of being reserved for what is really to take place.
Army Quotes
Standing armies can never consist of resolute robust men; they may be well-disciplined machines, but they will seldom contain men under the influence of strong passions, or with very vigorous faculties.
For a free people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
King of England, if you do not do these things, I am the commander of the military; and in whatever place I shall find your men in France, I will make them flee the country, whether they wish to or not; and if they will not obey, the Maid will have them all killed. She […]
Training distinguishes an army from an armed mob.
Upon the fields of friendly strife Are sown the seeds That upon other fields, on other days Will bear the fruits of victory. (Words which hang over the portals of the gymnasium of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point and which he wrote while he was serving as Superintendent, 1919-1922)
A commander’s most important function is to separate the five percent of intelligence he receives which is important from the 95 percent which is not important.
A standing army is one of the greatest mischiefs that can possibly happen.
The mass, whether it be a crowd or an army, is vile.
It follows that any commander in chief who undertakes to carry out a plan which he considers defective is at fault; he must put forth his reasons, insist on the plan being changed, and finally tender his resignation rather than be the instrument of his army’s downfall.
