A professional soldier understands that war means killing people, war means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers. All you have to do is hold your first dying soldier in your arms, and have that terribly futile feeling that his life is flowing out and you can’t do anything about it. Then you understand the horror of war. Any soldier worth his salt should be antiwar. And still, there are things worth fighting for.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Topics: War
Anybody who says they’re not afraid of war is either a liar, or they’re crazy.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
I admire men of character and I judge character not by how men deal with their superiors, but mostly how they deal with their subordinates. And that, to me, is where you find out what the character of a man is.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Topics: Character
When placed in command—take charge.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Topics: Leaders, Leadership
The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Judge your enemy based upon capabilities, not intent, you have to look at the enemy and really almost make a worst case call every time.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Topics: Judgement
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.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Topics: Heroes, Heroism, Heroes/Heroism
Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Topics: Character, Leaders, Leadership
Do what is right, not what you think the high headquarters wants or what you think will make you look good.
—H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
- Colin Powell American Military Leader
- Douglas MacArthur American Military Leader
- Eric Shinseki American Army Officer
- George S. Patton American Military Leader
- Omar Bradley American Military Leader
- Hyman G. Rickover American Admiral
- Robert S. Johnson American Military Leader
- George Marshall American Military Leader
- William Tecumseh Sherman American Military General
- Robert E. Lee American Military General
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