Quotes can be used to motivate, teach, warn, and memorialize. In the realm of warfare and battle, there have been many exceptional quotations recorded, shared, and retold. We’ve gathered 13 of our favorite military quotes, most of which are taken directly from the mouths of those who have seen war and been profoundly affected by it.

You’ll notice several quotes from George Patton, senior officer of the United States Army and best known for his leadership of the U.S. Third Army in France and Germany following the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. We couldn’t help it; so many of his quotes are inspirational and shareable.

We invite you to add your favorites in the comments below to help us build the best list of great military quotes.

1. “I am a soldier. I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.” George S. Patton

2. “The soldier, above all others, prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” Douglas MacArthur

3. “Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” Ronald Reagan

4. “Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior.” Karl von Clausewitz

5. “A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan executed tomorrow.” George S. Patton

6. "It is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it." General Robert E. Lee

7. “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” George S. Patton

8. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Colin Powell

9. “We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.” Konstantin Jireček

10. “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.” Mark Twain

11. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Sun Tzu

12. “We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us.” George Orwell

13. “The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make the other bastard die for his.” George S. Patton

Written by Megan Hammons