Top 180 George S. Patton Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “You need to overcome the tug of people against you as you reach for high goals.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

52. “Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

53. “When in doubt, ATTACK!”

— George S. Patton Jr.

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

— George S. Patton Jr.

55. “Take calculated risks.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

56. “Successful generals make plans to fit circumstances, but do not try to create circumstances to fit plans.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

57. “Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

58. “Don’t fall victim to what I call the ready-aim-aim-aim-aim syndrome. You must be willing to fire.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

59. “No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

60. “I read the Bible – every goddamn day.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

61. “Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

62. “When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!”

— George S. Patton Jr.

63. “Do your duty as you see it, and damn the consequences.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

64. “Make your plans to fit the circumstances.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

65. “There is no such thing as a successful defense.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

66. “Success demands a high level of logistical and organizational competence.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

67. “You shouldn’t underestimate an enemy, but it is just as fatal to overestimate him.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

68. “Never let the enemy pick the battle site.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

69. “I never take counsel of my fears.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

70. “The most difficult thing about being humble is not being able to brag about it.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

71. “Always do everything you ask of those you command.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

72. “To conquer, we must destroy our enemies. We must not only die gallantly; we must kill devastatingly. The faster and more effectively you kill, the longer you will live to enjoy the priceless fame of conquerors.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

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

— George S. Patton Jr.

74. “No sane man is unafraid in battle, but discipline produces in him a form of vicarious courage.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

75. “War is very simple, direct, and ruthless. It takes a simple, direct, and ruthless man to wage war.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

76. “Most battles are won before they are ever fought.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

77. “Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you?”

— George S. Patton Jr.

78. “In war the only sure defense is offense, and the efficiency of the offense depends on the warlike souls of those conducting it.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

79. “The fixed determination to have acquired the warrior soul, to either conquer or perish with honor, is the secret of victory.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

80. “If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you’ll be amazed at the results.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

81. “If I win I can’t be stopped! If I lose I shall be dead.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

82. “My men don’t dig foxholes. I don’t want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don’t give the enemy time to dig one either.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

83. “Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

84. “If you can’t get them to salute when they should salute and wear the clothes you tell them to wear, how are you going to get them to die for their country?”

— George S. Patton Jr.

85. “There is only one sort of discipline – PERFECT DISCIPLINE. Men cannot have good battle discipline and poor administrative discipline.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

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

— George S. Patton Jr.

87. “If we aren’t victorious, let no man come back alive!”

— George S. Patton Jr.

88. “The reason there are so many tree-lined boulevards in Paris is so the German army can march in the shade.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

89. “War is simple, direct, and ruthless.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

90. “All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

91. “War is the supreme test of man in which he rises to heights never approached in any other activity.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

92. “Do not make excuses, whether it’s your fault or not.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

93. “Just drive down that road, until you get blown up.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

94. “There’s only one way for a professional soldier to die. That’s from the last bullet of the last battle of the last war.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

95. “You cannot be disciplined in great things and undisciplined in small things. Brave undisciplined men have no chance against the discipline and valour of other men. Have you seen a few policemen handle a crowd?”

— George S. Patton Jr.

96. “Americans love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

97. “I always believe in being prepared, even when I’m dressed in white tie and tails.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

98. “If I do my full duty, the rest will take care of itself.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

99. “Success in war depends upon the golden rule of war.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

100. “The leader must be an actor.”

— George S. Patton Jr.