The brave men and women of the military should always be honored for their sacrifice, and these military quotes are the perfect words.
For those who risk their lives to protect our freedom, it is a selfless act of valor that is done without asking anything in return.
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Our military deserves to be honored and appreciated. The freedom and liberty we enjoy is much because of the brave men and women of the military who dedicate their lives to protecting the nation.
Many of them have had to sacrifice their lives just so the rest of us can live in a free and prosperous society.
It takes a great amount of courage and sacrifice to do what our soldiers do. Many of these great men and women have families of their own who they have to leave behind as they go to defend their country.
The least we can do for our military men and women is to honor and be thankful for their unselfish deeds. In that respect, below are some great military quotes to celebrate and honor our brave soldiers and veterans.
Military quotes to honor our heroes
1. “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
2. “To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.” – Andre Malraux
3. “Fortune favors the brave.” – Terence
4. “We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.”- George Orwell
5. “Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” – Alexander Hamilton
6. ”Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.”- Mary Roach
7. ”Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” – Douglas MacArthur
8. ”Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
9. ”I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me.” – The Duke of Wellington
10. ”If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly.” – David Hackworth
Military quotes to honor the brave deeds of our troops
11. ”No guts, no glory.” –Major Gen. Frederick C. Blesse
12. ”This country has not seen and probably will never know the true level of sacrifice of our veterans”. As a civilian, I owe an unpayable debt to all our military. Going forward let’s not send our servicemen and women off to war or conflict zones unless it is overwhelmingly justifiable and on moral high ground.”- Thomas M Smith
13. “Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”- Heraclitus
14. “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”- George S. Patton Jr.
15. “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” – Winston Churchill
16. “Who dares, wins. Who sweats, wins. Who plans, wins.” – British Special Air Service (SAS)
17. “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste death but once.” – William Shakespeare
18. “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”- George S. Patton Jr.
19. “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight—it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”- President Dwight D. Eisenhower
20. “I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.”- John F. Kennedy
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Military quotes to celebrate our heroes
21. “Soldiers can sometimes make decisions that are smarter than the orders they have been given.” – Orson Scott Card, Enders Game
22. “I am not afraid of an Army of lions lead by a sheep; I am afraid of sheep lead by a lion.” – Alexander the Great
23. “The Army is the true nobility of our country.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
24. “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” – Albert Einstein
25. “Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” – Benjamin Franklin
26. “This will remain the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave.” –Elmer Davis
27. “Word to the Nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard.” – John F. Kennedy
28. “The brave die never, though they sleep in dust: Their courage nerves a thousand living men.” — Minot J. Savage
29. “If there is not the war, you don’t get the great general; if there is not a great occasion, you don’t get a great statesman; if Lincoln had lived in a time of peace, no one would have known his name.” – Theodore Roosevelt
30. “Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” – Colonel David Hackworth
Military quotes to help us show appreciation
31. “Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.”- John F. Kennedy
32. “From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots. ― Thomas Jefferson
33. “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all. ― George Washington
34. “Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
35. “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” – Thomas Paine
36. “America without her Soldiers would be like God without His angels.”- Claudia Pemberton
37. “War is the greatest evil Satan has invented to corrupt our hearts and souls. We should honor our soldiers, but we should never honor war.”- Dean Hughes
38. “A safe army is better than a safe border”- B.R. Ambedkar
39. “We live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns.”- Aaron Sorkin
40. “No man is a man until he has been a soldier.”- Louis de Bernières
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Military quotes to make you strong
41. “Sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the Gun down.”- Malcolm X
42. “War is too important to be left to the generals.”- Georges Clémenceau
43. “Freedom is never free.” – Anonymous
44. “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.” — General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
45. “We must never forget why we have, and why we need our military. Our armed forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every one of us can sleep soundly at night, knowing we have ‘guardians at the gate.”- Allen West
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46. “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
47. “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” – G.K. Chesterton
48. “The military might of a country represents its national strength. Only when it builds up its military might in every way can it develop into a thriving country.” – Kim Jong-un
49. “We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us.” – Winston S. Churchill
50. “It is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier … [with] discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self-confidence born of demonstrated ability.” ― George S. Patton Jr.
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Military quotes to elevate your perspective
51. “He loves his country best who strives to make it best.” – Robert G. Ingersoll
52. “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” – Elmer Davis
53. “What is at a peak is certain to decline. He who shows his hand will certainly be defeated. He who can prevail in battle by taking advantage of his enemy’s doubts is invincible.”― Cao Cao
54. “May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely, than this our own country!” – Sen. Daniel Webster
55. “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
56. “If you can’t experience the humanity of people who don’t look like you, you’re not civilized enough to be an officer of the peace.”― Ann Medlock
57. “Two out of every three professional officers considered that wars were made for armies and not armies for wars.”― F. Scott Fitzgerald
58. “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick
59. “Surprise is an event that occurs in the mind of an enemy commander.”― Jerry Pournelle
60. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”- Joseph Campbell
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61. “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”- Gen. Douglas MacArthur
62. “True patriotism isn’t cheap. It’s about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going.” – Robert Reich
63. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
64. “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” – Maya Angelou
65. “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
Military quotes that will open your eyes
66. “It would be a joke if the conduct of the victor had to be justified to the vanquished.” – Napoléon Bonaparte
67. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure.” ― Colin Powell
68. “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” – Helmuth von Moltke
69. “The objective of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.” ― George Patton
70. “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” – William Arthur Ward
71. “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” ― George Orwell
72. “If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less inhuman.” – Napoléon Bonaparte
73. “I respect every soldier, from every country, who serves beside us in the hard work of history. America is grateful, and America will not forget.” –George W. Bush
74. “To be prepared against surprise is to be trained. To be prepared for surprise is to be educated.” – James Carse
75. “The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.” – Thucydides
Military quotes to inspire and teach
76. “How can men boast that they control their own destiny when they cannot solve the problems of war?” – Billy Graham
77. “True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job.” –Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr
78. “The hand of the aggressor is stayed by strength — and strength alone.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
79. “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” – Nathan Hale
80. “Could I have but a line a century hence crediting a contribution to the advance of peace, I would gladly yield every honor which has been accorded me in war.” – Douglas MacArthur
81. “It is long since I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.” – Alexander HamiltonIf you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of Alexander Hamilton quotes that remain true today.
82. “Modern war is the most highly developed of all sciences. We have perfected our weapons but failed to perfect the men who use them.” – Billy Graham
83. “They’ve got us surrounded — the poor bastards.” – An unnamed medic
84. “People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” – Richard Grenier
85. “Live for something rather than die for nothing.” – General George S. Patton
Military quotes to motivate you
86. “Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.” – Carl von Clausewitz
87. “A ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons.” – Admiral David D. Porter
88. “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.” – President Dwight D. Eisenhower
89. “A person cannot be a Marine without honor.” – General Carl Epting Mundy, Jr.
90. “Americans never quit.” – General Douglas MacArthur
91. “I can’t see how a single man could spend his time to better advantage than in the Marines.” – Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly
92. “A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood.” – General George Smith Patton, Jr.
93. “A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.” – President Theodore Roosevelt
94. “It is not enough to fight. It is the spirit which we bring to the fight that decides the issue. It is morale that wins the victory.” – General George Catlett Marshall
95. “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” – Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
Powerful military quotes
96. “It is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it.”― Douglas MacArthur
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97. “The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree.” – Thomas Campbell
98. “The military don’t start wars. Politicians start wars.”― William Westmoreland
99. “In war there is no substitute for victory.” – Douglas MacArthur
100. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” – Winston Churchill
101. “In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” – Jose Narosky
102. “Without heroes, we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go.” – Bernard Malamud
103. “Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars.” –George C. Marshall
104. “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
105. “The only things those people have that you don’t is guts. Do you wanna live forever?” – Merritt A. Edson
Military quotes to inspire and motivate
106. “War means fighting, and fighting means killing.”― Nathan Bedford Forrest
107. “Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.” – Ernest Hemingway
108. “No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.” –William Penn
109. “Soldiers win battles and generals get the medals.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
110. “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never peril.” – Sun TzuIf you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of Sun Tzu quotes from the iconic warrior and philospher.
111. “Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates.” – F. E. Adcock
112. “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” – Winston Churchill
113. “We make war that we may live in peace.” – Aristotle
114. “If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.” – Sun Tzu
115. “America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.” — Paul Tsongas
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Military quotes to elevate your thoughts
116. “One who loses his life for his country will get it”― Dr.P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar
117. “Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier, or not having been at sea.” – Samuel Johnson
118. “If I charge, follow me. If I retreat, kill me. If I die, revenge me.”― USMC
119. “The courage of a soldier is found to be the cheapest and most common quality of human nature.” – Edward Gibbon
120. “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.” – George S. Patton
121. “I loved the Army as an institution and loathed every single thing it required me to do.” –Simon Raven
122. “It’s almost worth having been in the army for the joy your freedom gives you.” – John Dos Passos
123. “Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.” – George S. Patton
124. “Success in battle is not a function of how many show up, but who they are.” – Robert H. Barrow
125. “Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
Powerful Military quotes
126. “Those of us who have never been in the military don’t understand what it is like to serve in the military.”― Gina Barreca
127. “The army teaches boys to think like men.” – Elvis Presley
128. “I am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.” – George S. Patton
129. “I owe everything to the army.” – Norman Wisdom
130. “The army is always the same. The sun and the moon change. The army knows no seasons.” – Frank Nugent
131. “A leader leads by example not by force.” – Sun Tzu
132. “An army without culture is a dull-witted army, and a dull-witted army cannot defeat the enemy.” – Mao Zedong
133. “No nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace, or ensure it of victory in time of war.” – Calvin Coolidge
134. “Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.” – Sun Tzu
135. “The Army was my bread and butter.” – Brian Lumley
More military quotes and sayings
136. “The military is not so much a job, it is more of a death sentence.” – Steven Magee
137. “Military guys are rarely as smart as they think they are, and they’ve never gotten over the fact that civilians run the military.” – Maureen Dowd
138. “The military system of a nation is not an independent section of the social system but an aspect of its totality.” – Tony Judt
139. “Bein’ a soldier is not hard. If it was, soldiers would not be able to do it.” – Terry Pratchett
140. “Those who do not appreciate the soldiers and instead pompously talk about peace, should try to live a single day without the soldiers.” – Abhijit Naskar
141. “War is life multiplied by some number that no one has ever heard of.” – Sebastian Junger
142. “The power of the army is his weapon, the power of the homeland is his lovers.” – Azadshah Ganjali
143. “Heroes may not live long in years, but they live forever in the stories.” – Amit Kalantri
144. “The hero’s sacrifice becomes just the story for people.” – Amit Kalantri
145. “Civilians enjoy their time because soldiers sacrifice their time.” – Amit Kalantri
Did you enjoy these military quotes collection?
It is almost impossible for a country to survive without a great army to defend it in times of war. An army is the pride of the nation.
In addition, without fearless soldiers, there can be no great army. If you have a loved one who is in the military, appreciate them with any of the above quotes and let them know that you cherish them.
Did you enjoy these military quotes? Which of the quotes was your favorite? Tell us in the comment section below. We would love to hear all about it.