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Commanders Quotes

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Commanders Quotes

“[Admiral Nelson's counsel] guided me time and again. On the eve of the critical battle of Santa Cruz, in which the Japanese ships outnumbered ours more than two to one, I sent my task force commanders this dispatch: ATTACK REPEAT ATTACK. They did attack, heroically, and when the battle was done, the enemy turned away. All problems, personal, national, or combat, become smaller if you don't dodge them, but confront them. Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly, and its spines crumble. Carry the battle to the enemy! Lay your ship alongside his!”

IfsTwoDoneProblemForceEnemyCourageBattleTasksLaysCriticalShipsRepeatsCombatSantaCommandersSpineNelsonCruzDodgeAdmiralThistlesTask ForcesSanta Cruz
Author:William Halsey
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“The best generals I have known were... stupid or absent-minded men. Not only does a good army commander not need any special qualities, on the contrary he needs the absence of the highest and best human attributes - love, poetry, tenderness, and philosophic inquiring doubt. He should be limited, firmly convinced that what he is doing is very important (otherwise he will not have sufficient patience), and only then will he be a brave leader. God forbid that he should be humane, should love, or pity, or think of what is just and unjust.”

ThinkingMenLoveNeedsShouldHumansDoeImportantQualityKnownLeaderDoubtSpecialStupidHighestArmyBraveConvincedAbsenceContraryPitySufficientAttributesTendernessUnjustHumaneAbsentCommandersLove PoetryPhilosophicInquiringAbsent Minded
Author:Leo Tolstoy
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“At first he thought he felt bad because he was afraid of leading an army, but it wasn't true. He knew he'd make a good commander. He felt himself wanting to cry. He hadn't cried since the first few days of homesickness after he got here. He tried to put a name on the feeling that put a lump in his throat and made him sob silently, however much he tried to hold it down. He bit down on his hand to stop the feeling, to replace it with pain. It didn't help.”

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Book:Ender's Game
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“As president, my goal in Afghanistan will be to complete a successful transition to Afghan security forces by the end of 2014. I will evaluate conditions on the ground and solicit the best advice of our military commanders. And I will affirm that my duty is not to my political prospects, but to the security of the nation.”

EndsPoliticalForceNationsGoalPresidentSuccessfulConditionsAdviceSecurityMilitaryDutyTransitionAfghanistanCommandersEvaluateProspectsBest AdviceAfghanSecurity Forces
Author:Mitt Romney
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“The President, and government, will only control the militia when a part of them is in the actual service of the federal government, else, they are independent and not under the command of the president or the government. The states would control the militia, only when called out into the service of the state, and then the governor would be commander in chief where enumerated in the respective state constitution.”

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Author:Alexander Hamilton
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“But how do European railways manage without them? How do they continue to convey millions of travellers and mountains of luggage across a continent? If companies owning railways have been able to agree, why should railway workers, who would take possession of railways, not agree likewise? And if the Petersburg-Warsaw Company and that of Paris-Belfort can act in harmony, without giving themselves the luxury of a common commander, why, in the midst of our societies, consisting of groups of free workers, should we need a Government?”

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Author:Peter Kropotkin
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“The natural disposition of most people is to clothe a commander of a large army whom they do not know, with almost superhuman abilities. A large part of the National army, for instance, and most of the press of the country, clothed General Lee with just such qualities, but I had known him personally, and knew that he was mortal; and it was just as well that I felt this.”

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Book:Ulysses S. Grant: Memoirs & Selected Letters: Library of America #50
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“Let's face it, the romantic scene between the Romulan Commander and Spock [in “The Enterprise Incident”] was totally out of context. Any Romulan worth her salt would have instantly suspected Spock because they are related races. That was wrongmy biggest objection is the scene between Spock and the woman, because I really did not believe it. And I did not believe that the Romulan did not suspect Spock of something underhanded. She does know enough about Vulcan and Vulcans to know that something's afoot.”

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Author:D. C. Fontana
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“Eisenhower had run the Army; he knew all the ways decision making can go off the rails, and insisted on collective debate precisely to prevent senior officials from freelancing, or putting their departmental interests first. For all the formal machinery, Eisenhower was very literally the commander in chief, making the key decisions himself and monitoring closely how they were carried out. Even years after D-Day, when critics needled him for not being on the front lines with the invading forces, he retorted, “I planned it and took responsibility for it. Did you want me to unload a truck?”

WayWantYearsFirstsRunningForceInterestLinesDecisionResponsibilityFrontsKeysArmyCriticsDebateChiefsOfficialsCollectivesDecision MakingWant MeFormalSeniorTruckMachineryCommandersRailYou Want MeCommander In ChiefMonitoringInvadingD Day
Book:The Presidents Club: Inside the World's Most Exclusive Fraternity
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“I had always enjoyed the title of Commander-in-Chief until I was informed ... that the only forces that cannot be transferred from Washington without my express permission are the members of the Marine Corps Band. Those are the only forces I have. I want it announced that we propose to hold the White House against all odds at least for some time to come.”

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Author:John F. Kennedy
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“I have broken all ties that bind me to the (U.S.) Army, not suddenly, impulsively, but conscientiously and after due deliberation. I sacrifice more to my principles than any other officer in the Army can do. I would rather carry a musket in the cause of the South than be commander-in-chief under Mr. Lincoln.”

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Author:Edmund Kirby Smith
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“Decades ago, visitors from other planets warned us about the direction we were heading and offered to help. Instead, some of us interpreted their visits as a threat, and decided to shoot first and ask questions after. It is ironic that the US should be fighting monstrously expensive wars, allegedly to bring democracy to those countries, when it itself can no longer claim to be called a democracy when trillions, and I mean thousands of billions of dollars have been spent on black projects which both congress and the commander in chief have been kept deliberately in the dark.”

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Author:Paul Hellyer
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