11 Gen. George Patton Quotes That Show His Strategic Awesomeness

Military.com ^ | Updated Jul 20, 2026, 4:39 PM EDT | US Military History

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Jul 20, 2026, 4:39 PM EDT

Originally published by  We Are The Mighty

Gen. George S. Patton was a complicated military figure, but there can be little debate over whether he was quotable.

Perhaps most famous for his commanding of the 7th Army during World War II, Old “Blood and Guts” often gave rousing speeches to motivate, inspire and educate his soldiers. We collected 11 of his most famous quotes (courtesy of his estate’s official website) that show how larger than life he really was.

1. 'A Pint of Sweat Will Save a Gallon of Blood'

Soldiers are not good on the battlefield without training hard beforehand. Whether it’s a soldier, a civilian wanting to run a marathon or a CEO running a company, being successful at what you do requires focus, effort and learning.

For soldiers especially, working extra hard in training can save their lives later.

2. 'A Good Plan, Violently Executed Now, Is Better Than a Perfect Plan Next Week'

Known for his brilliance on the battlefield, Patton often had to make decisions based on limited information and time. But he knew to avoid “paralysis by analysis,” make a decision, and execute it the best he could. Otherwise, the enemy might maneuver faster and beat him.

3. 'Lead Me, Follow Me, or Get Out of My Way'

Perhaps one of the most famous quotes that people don’t realize originated with Patton, this mantra summed up his style.

4. 'Do Everything You Ask of Those You Command'

Patton led his soldiers by example. While he’s best known for commanding troops during World War II and perfecting the art of tank warfare, his troops knew he was more than willing to personally get into...

[jroehl]

Thank you!

The Patton family was of Scottish, Irish, Scots-Irish, French, English and Welsh ancestry. He did not have a drop of German blood. But he was completely right.

The propaganda against Germany was mainly to justify the mistake of losing 1/2 a million of Americas youth. Almost all of our problems, right now, stem from that debacle. WW I, WW II and the Civil war should not have been fought as they were all avoidable. My dad was in Japan weeks after the bomb was dropped. If we didn’t do that, I would have never existed.

[ansel12]

“”””“A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once.”””””

I took that saying to heart as a kid as a life truth and combined with a lot of luck it gave me a life of adventure and close calls, people have to be willing to take risks, because that is where the fun is, not to mention that as you grow and your character forms, bad guys sense it and it becomes a part of your aura or presence, it makes you a force that you can carry into the dark corners of an adventurous life.

[AlaskaErik]

Not even 50 years later the USSR was in the dustbin of history.

[Albion Wilde]

Not even 50 years later the USSR was in the dustbin of history.

And yet the communist mania itself had already taken over our universities and now, openly, the Mayor's office of New York City.

[poconopundit]

Thanks for the famous Patton speech, catnip. I’d heard snippets of it in the Patton movie, of course. But it’s nice to read the REAL, FULL Version.

[Mean Daddy]

In others, those flaws make them great.

But it didn't keep them from leading and risking their neck on behalf of the people they led.

[rlmorel]

Not sure if you missed the point I may have clumsily-those flaws may have had nothing to do with their ability to risk their neck or lead-those flaws in them made them better than they might otherwise have been.

[rlmorel]

I have ALWAYS thought there was a distinct link of some kind between Patton and Trump...not just somewhat a physical resemblance of some sort, but a temperamental similarity.

[BDParrish]

Interesting.
We don’t usually hear this nowadays, although back then it was a common perspective. Either way is an error of hindsight.
Chamberlain could have said the same thing of Germany on September 30th, 1938. Charles Lindberg did say precisely this on September 23rd, 1941.
What I would ask you to remember is a principle I call, for lack of a better term, the December 6 principle, or sometimes I call it the September 10th principle. I would love to learn a proper name for it. Nobody knew how their world would change the next day.
You just do not know what is gonna happen.
They did not know it then.
We don’t know now.
Do you remember the song by Barry McGuire, “Eve of Destruction”?
That was September 26th 1965.
You could sing it almost word for word today.
It sounds ridiculous for 1965 in hindsight, but not right now.
McGuire gave his life to Christ reading a copy of Good News for Modern Man someone left on the table in his hotel room.
You should do that too.

[Ancesthntr]

Well, over a billion people were basically enslaved by Communism for several generations, and we came close to having all of civilization nearly perish in a nuclear war on SEVERAL occasions. Oh, and those Communists (mainly the Russians) set up not just terrorist networks that still plague us (and murder our civilians) to this day, but they also set up subversive groups that are undermining this country morally and politically, groups that are (like the DSA) STILL going strong, and STILL poisoning our youth and college students. Had we ended Communism then, the history of the world, and of this country, would have been far different and, in my opinion, far better.

That the public wasn’t in the mood for more war is beyond question, both here and in the UK. For that matter, worldwide. But the public didn’t know then how bad the USSR was, and our leaders not only knew, but actively hid it or glossed over it. Perhaps people would have felt differently had they known that we just fought a war (at least partially) to liberate Eastern Europe, and that it was every bit as enslaved after the war by the Communists as it would have been if the Germans had won the war.

That we didn’t have a nuclear war is, frankly, pure luck. If you read your history, you’ll find that a couple of very courageous and moral Soviet officers decided NOT to act upon their orders and launch missiles...but for them being in the right place at the right time, and knowing how unreliable their own technology was, most of us literally would not be alive right now.

Regardless of your opinion, I am not FOR war - but I understand that on some occasions there is something worse than fighting one. Perhaps you are of the same view (I suspect you are, as you seem to believe that WW2 was a justifiable conflict), and we just happen to disagree about the correct course of action in 1945.