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...

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TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: patton

[ryderann]

Can you imagine Patton as a football coach facing Woody Hayes? Both teams would have been bloody even before reaching the field.

[The Duke]

I'm surprised they left out this oldie-but-goodie ... "Fixed Fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of Man".

[dadfly]

great man and leader of men. i’ve made a habit of studying the people i consider great and tried to learn from them. i’ve noticed, like Patton i think, that many people seem to live entirely in their fears (from Patton’s Principles by Williamson):

“Any man who is afraid to die will never really live.”

my dad, a marine vet of the war in the pacific against the Japanese, said something similar to me once. “A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once.”

continuing with some more Willamson quotes from Patton:

“The person who cannot face death has truly never faced life because every day of life is a day closer to death. To take counsel of fears about death is to destroy every day of living.”

“There is a time to take counsel of your fears, and there is time to never listen to any fear.”

“The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That’s the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead! Every plan you make in war is going to be a live or die decision....Since we are not afraid to do either there is no reason to take counsel of our fears.”

maybe a lot of people are afraid to take command or make a hard decision because they are afraid of being wrong—afraid of the responsibility for failure (this was my early weakness as a younger man). clearly Gen Patton was not afraid of failure and not afraid of taking responsibility for his decisions.

[poconopundit]

Great post! The 12 quotes are outstanding. Must read.

Thanks, E. Pluribus..

[jroehl]

They killed Patton because he realized (before anybody else) that we were fighting the wrong people on the Western front.

[KingLudd]

Living behind enemy lines for so long, I’ve used the, “If Everybody Is Thinking Alike, Then Somebody Isn’t Thinking,” quote many, many times in social and work situations to surreptitiously describe the actions of the rats. They all seem to ponder the quote, but it probably doesn’t register.

[tlozo]

[equaviator]

U of M would never hire somebody like Patton!

[MayflowerMadam]

It’s sad that he treated his kids no differently than he did his troops via verbal abuse, shame, criticism.

[Jolla]

I recall one of the Green Bay Packers (those on the 1960s teams) said under coach Lombardy Sunday was a walk in the park compared to practice.

[SisterK]

bump

[circlecity]

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

In his memoirs Ulysses Grant stated this exact philosophy as his also.

[Cincinnatus.45-70]

Now that you mention Grant, John S. Mosby, brilliant Confedate partisan hero, became friends with General Grant at the end of the War Between the States. But Mosby was also a friend of Patton’s parents and spent a lot of time in their home, tellimg tales the younger Patton listned to.

Mosby ended his days as a lawyer with the US Justice Department in Washington, DC, appointed by Grant, if I recall correctly.

[Ditto]

They killed Patton……

Who’s they? Why didn’t Patton say “They killed me”. He was alive and alert for days after the accident. He sure didn’t think “they” killed him.

BTW. How many thousands of US troops do you think we would have lost if we had gone to war with the Russians in 1945? A hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? A million? Would we even have won that war? The Soviets totally destroyed the German army. There were more of them than there were of us and Stalin was not concerned with Soviet causalities.

[rlmorel]

8. 'If Everybody Is Thinking Alike, Then Somebody Isn’t Thinking'
Good leaders don’t want to hear from “yes men.” They encourage healthy debate, talking over strategy, and planning out different options. Patton may have been a brilliant tactician on the battlefield, but he was also human. If one of his subordinates noticed something wasn’t working or had a better idea, according to this quote, he’d be interested to hear what it was.

That has always been one of my favorite quotes from him. He was a remarkable man, and a flawed one in many ways.

However, I view his flaws as elemental to who Patton was, and without those flaws, he would not have been who he became.

I feel that exact same way about Churchill.

And Donald J. Trump.

I believe our flaws are just one part of making us who we are. In some people, those flaws are corrosive and destructive.

In others, those flaws make them great.

[mdmathis6]

The Russian soldiers on the ground knew of the differences between Germany and America...they might have turned their guns on Stalin and joined up with the Americans. Americans knew how to fight in cold weather and our airforces were superior, and we already had jet fighters being worked developed in 1945 and 1946. We missed an opportunity!

[castlebrew]

“...under coach Lombardy Sunday was a walk in the park compared to practice.”

It is said of the Roman Legions that “their practice looked like a bloodless battle, and their battles like a bloody practice...” (or words to that effect)’.

Train as you would fight!

[Ditto]

The Russian soldiers on the ground knew of the differences between Germany and America...they might have turned their guns on Stalin and joined up with the Americans.

LOL. The Russian soldiers didn't even know what a freaking toilet was let alone the difference between Germans and Americans. They knew one thing. Go where your commander tells you or the Commissar behind you will kill you.

[mdmathis6]

Oh they weren’t that stupid. Patton said that of the Italians...!