105+ Military Mentorship Quotes

Leadership Principles

Understanding Leadership:

• “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.” – Admiral Grace Hopper
• “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – General George S. Patton
• “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower
• “A leader leads by example, not by force.” – Sun Tzu
• “A leader is a dealer in hope.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
• “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – General George S. Patton
• “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character.” – General Norman Schwarzkopf
• “You manage things; you lead people.” – Rear Admiral Grace Hopper
• “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” – General George S. Patton
• “The leader’s job is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.” – John Buchan
• “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell

Integrity and Character:

• “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower
• “The essence of leadership is found in the word ‘duty.’” – General Robert E. Lee
• “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.” – General Douglas MacArthur
• “The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do.” – General Colin Powell

Responsibility and Accountability:

• “No man is a leader until his appointment is ratified in the minds and hearts of his men.” – General William Tecumseh Sherman
• “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” – General Arnold H. Glasow
• “The best morale exists when you never hear the word mentioned.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower
• “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.” – General George S. Patton

Different Military Branches

Army

• “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.” – General George S. Patton
• “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower
• “The greatness of a leader is measured by the achievements of the led.” – General Omar N. Bradley

Navy

• “Good ideas are not adopted automatically.” – Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
• “Leadership consists of picking good men and helping them do their best.” – Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
• “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” – Admiral William H. McRaven

Air Force

• “I don’t mind being called tough, because in this racket it’s the tough guys who lead the survivors.” – General Curtis LeMay
• “It’s got to be done and done quickly, so let’s get it done.” – General Henry H. Arnold
• “The future of our nation is indissolubly bound up in the development of air power.” – General Billy Mitchell

Marine Corps

• “The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.” – General James Mattis
• “No one ever drowned in sweat.” – USMC
• “The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle.” – General John A. Lejeune
• “Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there.” – Lieutenant General Victor H. Krula

Coast Guard

• “You cannot surge trust.” – Admiral Thad W. Allen
• “Keep your head and your heart going in the right direction, and you will not have to worry about your feet.” – Admiral Russell R. Waesche
• “Few men during their lifetime come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them.” – Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd

Bible and Religious Leaders

1. Bible Verses:

• “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.” – 2 Timothy 2:4
• “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:13
• “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.” – Exodus 15:3
• “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6
• “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” – 2 Chronicles 20:15
• “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.” – Proverbs 21:31

2. Quotes from Religious Leaders:

• “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” – Billy Graham (Army Chaplain)
• “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “Our strength lies in our unity. In that unity, we find the courage to face any battle.” – T.D. Jakes

Mentorship and Inspiration

1. Inspiring Others:

• “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” – President John Quincy Adams (Commander-in-Chief analogy)
• “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – General John Quincy Adams
• “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – General Peter Drucker (Management Consultant using military analogy)
• “The leader’s job is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.” – John Buchan (British Politician and Soldier)
• “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (Philosopher using military analogy)

2. Leading by Example:

• “The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.” – General Colin Powell
• “Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” – Tom Landry (Football Coach, using military analogy)
• “A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” – General Arnold H. Glasow

War and Strategy

1. War Preparation and Strategy:

• “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” – General George Washington
• “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” – General Norman Schwarzkopf
• “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower
• “In war, the moral is to the physical as three is to one.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
• “Success in battle is not a function of how many show up, but who they are.” – General Robert H. Barrow
• “Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.” – General George S. Patton

2. Overcoming Challenges:

• “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” – General George Washington
• “Victory belongs to the most persevering.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
• “The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare.” – Juma Ikangaa (Military Sports Analogy)
• “It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Discipline and Duty

1. Duty and Service:

• “The essence of leadership is found in the word ‘duty.’ Duty is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more; you should never wish to do less.” – General Robert E. Lee
• “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” – General George Washington
• “To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.” – Andre Malraux
• “The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country.” – General George S. Patton

2. Loyalty and Commitment:

• “I can’t expect loyalty from the army if I do not give it.” – General George C. Marshall
• “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr. (Civil Rights Leader using military analogy)

Inspirational Analogies

1. Analogies and Metaphors:

• “An army marches on its stomach.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
• “You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher Columbus (Explorer and Military Leader analogy)
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill (Prime Minister and Military Leader)
• “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – General Peter Drucker (Management Consultant using military analogy)
• “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (Philosopher using military analogy)
• “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” – Vince Lombardi (Football Coach using military analogy)
• “Leadership is a privilege to better the lives of others. It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed.” – Mwai Kibaki (Former President and Military Leader)
• “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt (using military analogy)
• “The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born – that there is a genetic factor to leadership. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.” – Warren Bennis (Leadership Scholar using military analogy)
• “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot (Politician using military analogy)

Quotes by Historical Figures and Leaders

1. Historical Leaders:

• “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.” – General George S. Patton
• “A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him.” – General Douglas MacArthur
• “You are remembered for the rules you break.” – General Douglas MacArthur
• “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – General Colin Powell
• “You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.” – General Abraham Lincoln (Commander-in-Chief analogy)
• “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – President John F. Kennedy (Commander-in-Chief analogy)
• “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – President John F. Kennedy (Commander-in-Chief analogy)
• “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – President Ronald Reagan (Commander-in-Chief analogy)
• “Success in battle is not a function of how many show up, but who they are.” – General Robert H. Barrow