Douglas MacArthur

"The obligation to leadership is the obligation to serve."

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another."

"The soldier asks not whether the cause is just; he fights for his comrades."

"One cannot build a great nation on the foundation of dishonesty."

"To understand the present, one must study the past."

"The price of greatness is responsibility."

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the influence of the military-industrial complex."

"A nation's strength lies in the character of its citizens, not in the size of its armies."

"The dignity of the individual is the foundation of all true civilization."

"The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his."

"I am concerned for the security of our great nation. It is clear that the only thing that stands between us and disaster is the will to act."

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others."

"In war, there is no substitute for victory."

"The soldier, be he friend or foe, is charged with the protection of the weak and unarmed. It is the very essence of chivalry and of honor."

"Courage is a special kind of knowledge: the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared."

"The great tradition of parliamentary government has never failed us, but once we cease to defend it, surrender becomes inevitable."

"History fails to record a single precedent in which nations engaged in mutual contest have not settled their differences by compromise."

"Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid."

"Man can now fly the air like a bird, swim under the sea like a fish, and burrow into the earth like a mole. Nothing escapes him."

"The potential of the American system is virtually limitless. What we lack is not opportunity, but application."

"There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity."

"As I look back on these tumultuous years of war and strife, I am grateful for the steadfast support of those who believed in our cause."

"Duty, honor, country—these three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, and what you must be."

"A general who becomes filled with the idea that he is indispensable is a menace to his country."

"The world has just barely learned to walk upright, intellectually and spiritually. Give it time."

"Education is the great molding force of character. It is to the mind what gymnastics is to the body."

"Youth encompasses the ability to do all that is right; age provides the wisdom to know what is right."

"I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting force in the world."

"The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, but the kind of man the country turns out."

"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons."