100 Inspirational Military Quotes to Motivate and Lead

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts"

- Winston S. Churchill

"I may not have been the best combat commander, but I always strove to be. My men depended on me to carefully analyze every tactical situation, to maximize the resources that I had at my disposal, to think under pressure, and then to lead them by personal example."

- Major Dick Winters

"If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do… the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."

- General George S. Patton

"The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow."

- General Colin Powell

"The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it."

- General Norman Schwarzkopf

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission."

- John F. Kennedy

"The truth is that you always know the right thing to do. The tough part is doing it."

- General Norman Schwarzkopf

"The soldier is the army. No army is better than its soldiers. The soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country."

- Gen. George S. Patton Jr.

"It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle."

- Norman Schwarzkopf

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."

- Colin Powell

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God such men lived."

- George S. Patton

"It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning."

- Colin Powell

"Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it."

- Colin Powell

"It can be done!"

- General Colin Powell

"Have a vision. Be demanding."

- Colin Powell

"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier."

- Colin Powell

"When things go wrong in your command, start wading for the reason in increasing larger concentric circles around your own desk."

- General Bruce D. Clark

"Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself and let your troops see that you don’t in your endurance of fatigue and privation. Always be tactful and well-mannered. Avoid excessive sharpness or harshness of voice, which usually indicates the man who has shortcomings of his own to hide."

- German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

"The discipline which makes the soldiers of a free country reliable in battle is not to be gained by harsh or tyrannical treatment. On the contrary, such treatment is far more likely to destroy than to make an army. It is possible to impart instruction and give commands in such a manner and such a tone of voice as to inspire in the soldier no feeling but an intense desire to obey, while the opposite manner and tone of voice cannot fail to excite strong resentment and a desire to disobey. The one mode or the other in dealing with subordinates springs from a corresponding spirit in the breast of the commander. He who feels the respect which is due to others cannot fail to inspire in them respect for himself; while he who feels, and hence manifests, disrespect toward others, especially his subordinates, cannot fail to inspire hatred against himself."

- LTG John M. Schofield

"We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training."

- Archilochus

"It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience."

- Julius Caesar

"It is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it."

- General Robert E. Lee

"Owning the facts is a prerequisite to leadership. But there are millions of technocrats out there with lots of facts in their quivers and little leadership potential. In many cases, what they are missing is empathy. No one is a leader who can’t put himself or herself in the other person’s shoes. Empathy and expertise command respect."

- William Pagonis

"Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine."

- Chris Hadfield

"When things go wrong in your command, start wading for the reason in increasingly larger concentric circles around your own desk."

- General Bruce D. Clark

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent."

- Douglas MacArthur

"If officers desire to have control over their commands, they must remain habitually with them, industriously attend to their instruction and comfort, and in battle lead them well."

- Stonewall Jackson

"Leadership is of the spirit, compounded of personality and vision: its practice is an art. Management is of the mind, more a matter of accurate calculation, of statistics, of methods, timetables and routine; its practice is a science. Managers are necessary; leaders are essential."

- Field Marshal Sir Bill Slim

"Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand."

- General Colin Powell

"Leaders must be motivators, educators, role models, sounding boards, confessors, and cheerleaders—they must be accessible, and they must aggressively pursue contact with colleagues and subordinates."

- Lieutenant General, William Pagonis

"An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep."

- Alexander the Great

"Who dares, wins. Who sweats, wins. Who plans, wins."

- British Special Air Service (SAS)

"Read over and over again the campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus, Turenne, Eugene and Frederic…This is the only way to become a great general and master the secrets of the art of war…"

- Napoleon Bonaparte

"Don't stop trying or fighting for what you believe in the first time someone tells you no."

- General (Retired) Ann Dunwoody

"Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on to the end."

- Field Marshal Douglas Haig

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

- General George S. Patton

"Leadership consists of picking good men and helping them do their best"

- Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

"leader leads by example, not by force."

- Sun Tzu

"Discipline is the soul of an army."

- George Washington

"The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave…"

- Patrick Henry

"Victory belongs to the most persevering."

- Napoleon Bonaparte

"No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation."

- General Douglas MacArthur

"There is nothing nobler than risking your life for your country."

- Nick Lampson

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."

- Joseph Campbell

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

- President John Quincy Adams

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

- Nathan Hale

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."

- Elmer Davis

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

- Winston Churchill

"On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind."

- Dan Lipinski

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid."

- Col. David Hackworth

"The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men."

- Minot J. Savage

"Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war."

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

"The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment."

- Judd Gregg

"All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavor to find out what you don’t know by what you do do; that’s what I call ‘guessing what was on the other side of the hill"

- Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington

"Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall."

- John Dickinson

"I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor food; I offer only hunger, thirst, forced marches, battles, and death. Let him who loves his country with his heart, and not merely with his lips, follow me."

- Giuseppe Garibaldi

"Who you are on a daily basis is who you are when you compete. If you want to be a champion, you have to have the mindset of a champion every day."

- Jerry Ingalls

"Success is peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

- Coach John Wooden

"War makes extremely heavy demands on the soldier’s strength and nerves. For this reason, make heavy demands on your men in peacetime exercises."

- German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outburts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

- Adlai Stevenson

"You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours."

- General Colin Powell

"I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it’s marked by the blood of those who died defending it."

- John Thune

"The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude."

- Jeff Miller

"I have long believed that sacrifice is the pinnacle of patriotism."

- Bob Riley

"You manage things; you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership. It might help if we ran the MBAs out of Washington."

- Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

"That synchronized cycle — what we called our “battle rhythm” — was fueled by the O&I, which pumped information and context throughout our Task Force."

- General (Retired) McChrystal

"When you become a leader you give up the right to think about yourself."

- Gerald Brooks

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision."

- Colin Powell

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!"

- Maya Angelou

"Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

"Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations, that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided Republic."

- John A. Logan

"Attract the right people. Let them know what they have to do. Give them the tools to do the job. And when they get it done, your job as a leader is to make sure they get the credit for it."

- General (Retired) Rick Hillier

"Step one of inspiring your team is really to help them to get bought into the leader, but step two is to help them get bought into the mission"

- Former Commanding Officer US Marine Corps David Robinson

"Get mad, then get over it."

- General Colin Powell

"True patriotism isn't cheap. It's about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going."

- Robert Reich

"Remain calm. Be kind."

- General Colin Powell

"These fallen heroes represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor – and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror."

- Michael N. Castle

"Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers."

- General Colin Powell

"If you as a leader allow people to halfway do their jobs and don’t demand excellence as a prerequisite to keeping their job, you will create a culture of mediocrity. If you allow people to misbehave, underachieve, have a bad attitude, gossip, and generally avoid excellence, please don’t expect to attract and keep good talent. Please don’t expect to have an incredible culture."

- Dave Ramsey

"Who kept the faith and fought the fight; the glory theirs, the duty ours."

- Wallace Bruce

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."

- Mark Twain

"Be careful what you choose. You may get it."

- General Colin Powell

"Men mean more than guns in the rating of a ship"

- John Paul Jones

"Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first."

- Charles de Gaulle

"Share credit."

- General Colin Powell

"America without her soliders would be like God without His angels."

- Claudia Pemberton

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."

- Cynthia Ozick

"He loves his country best who strives to make it best."

- Robert G. Ingersoll

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America."

- William J. Clinton

"The more comfort, the less courage there is."

- Field Marshal Prince Aleksandr V. Suvorov

"We're all one team - and together, we're strong and we're in this together."

- Bo Brabo

"To spend a few minutes with people is simply not productive. If one wants to get anything across, one has to spend a fairly large minimum quantum of time. The manager who things that he can discuss the plans, direction, and performance of one of his subordinates in fifteen minutes – and many managers believe this – is just deceiving himself. If one wants to get to the point of having an impact, one needs probably at least an hour and usually more. And if one has to establish a human relationship, one needs infinitely more time."

- Peter F. Drucker

"What’s right about America is that although we have a mess of problems, we have great capacity – intellect and resources – to do something about them."

- Henry Ford

"May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely, than this our own country!"

- Sen. Daniel Webster

"Facta non verba (Translation: Deeds, not words)"

- Canadian Joint Task Force

"Check small things."

- General Colin Powell

"Leaders must be seen to be up front, up to date, up to their job and up early in the morning."

- Marcus Sieff

"No man is a leader until he is ratified in the minds and hearts of his men."

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. In the end, leaders are much like eagles… they don’t flock, you find them one at a time."

"A lack of planning on your part does not constitute a crisis on mine…unless of course I failed to lead you."