Top 100 Military Quotes (2025 Update)
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51. “It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.”

— Carl von Clausewitz

52. “Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

53. “Human beings are made up of flesh and blood, and a miracle fiber called courage.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

54. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”

— Sun Tzu

55. “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

— Winston Churchill

56. “Victory belongs to the most persevering.”

— Napoleon

57. “Courage – a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it.”

— William T. Sherman

58. “Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.”

— Ronald Reagan

59. “Plan for what is difficult when it is easy, do what is great when it is small.”

— Sun Tzu

60. “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.”

— George Washington

61. “Till the enemy’s weakness is known, he should be kept on friendly terms.”

— Chanakya

62. “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

63. “Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.”

— Colin Powell

64. “It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.”

— Winston Churchill

65. “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”

— Sun Tzu

66. “The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.”

— Carl von Clausewitz

67. “The line between disorder and order lies in logistics...”

— Sun Tzu

68. “When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.”

— Sun Tzu

69. “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

70. “Implementing Extreme Ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking ownership, and developing a plan to overcome challenges are integral to any successful team.”

— Jocko Willink

71. “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

72. “When one treats people with benevolence, justice, and righteousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders.”

— Sun Tzu

73. “Ours not to reason why, ours but to do and die.”

— Alfred Tennyson

74. “We are either kings or pawns of men.”

— Napoleon

75. “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.”

— Sun Tzu

76. “Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all.”

— Alexander the Great

77. “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

78. “In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

79. “Always do more than is required of you.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

80. “Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him.”

— Sun Tzu

81. “If an enemy has alliances, the problem is grave and the enemy’s position strong; if he has no alliances, the problem is minor and the enemy’s position weak.”

— Sun Tzu

82. “Diversity in counsel, unity in command.”

— Cyrus the Great

83. “You can not lead a battle if you think you look silly on a horse.”

— Napoleon

84. “These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in the crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

— Thomas Paine

85. “I need ammunition, not a ride.”

— Volodymyr Zelensky

86. “All glory is fleeting.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

87. “Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy’s unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.”

— Sun Tzu

88. “Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.”

— Sun Tzu

89. “Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead. Focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it.”

— Robert Greene

90. “In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

91. “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”

— Douglas MacArthur

92. “A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible.”

— Polybius

93. “In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Good Will.”

— Winston Churchill

94. “Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.”

— Sun Tzu

95. “What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.”

— Sun Tzu

96. “When a decision has to be made, make it. There is no totally right time for anything.”

— George S. Patton Jr.

97. “If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time – a tremendous whack.”

— Winston Churchill

98. “Approach the enemy with the attitude of defeating him without delay.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

99. “There, where I have passed, the grass will never grow again.”

— Attila the Hun

100. “So there are five ways of knowing who will win. Those who know when to fight and when not to fight are victorious. Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious.”

— Sun Tzu