The following also fits the theme:
Paraphrased: “You cannot invade and defeat America. You’d face a RIFLE behind every tree.”
IJN Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.
Yamamoto liked America and understood Americans. He was a wise man who did his duty, and he was assassinated because he was a wise man who did his duty (and was thus a great leader and a threat).
The P-38 squadron that shot down his Betty as it circled to land had to train in secret to perform a 500-mile interception over water at sea level.