The 150 Best Quotes by Douglas MacArthur
Introduction
Douglas MacArthur, a name synonymous with military brilliance and leadership, was a five-star general in the United States Army and played a pivotal role during World War II. Known for his strategic genius and eloquent speeches, MacArthur left behind a legacy of wisdom and inspiration that transcends the battlefield. His quotes reflect themes of courage, duty, and an unwavering commitment to victory. This article compiles 150 of his most profound quotes, offering insights into his views on life, leadership, and the human spirit.
Table of Contents
- Wisdom
- Courage
- Duty and Honor
- Victory and Success
- War and Peace
- Leadership
- Life and Age
- Patriotism and Freedom
- Conclusion
1. Wisdom
Douglas MacArthur's wisdom often shines through in his quotes, offering guidance and insight into human nature and leadership.
"I realize that advice is worth what it costs—that is, nothing." - Douglas MacArthur
"The history of the failure of war can almost be summed up in two words: too late." - Douglas MacArthur
"Expect only 5% of an intelligence report to be accurate. The trick of a good commander is to isolate the 5%." - Douglas MacArthur
"Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind." - Douglas MacArthur
"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." - Douglas MacArthur
"Optimism is denial, so face the facts and move on." - Douglas MacArthur
"Could I have but a line a century hence crediting a contribution to the advance of peace, I would yield every honor which has been accorded by war." - Douglas MacArthur
"Freemasonry embraces the highest moral laws and will bear the test of any system of ethics or philosophy ever promulgated for the uplift of man." - Douglas MacArthur
"No plan ever survives its first encounter with the enemy." - Douglas MacArthur
"The object and practice of liberty lies in the limitation of government power." - Douglas MacArthur
"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..." - Douglas MacArthur
"Talk of imminent threat to our national security through the application of external force is pure nonsense." - Douglas MacArthur
"Training distinguishes an army from an armed mob." - Douglas MacArthur
"The powers in charge keep us in a perpetual state of fear keep us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor with the cry of grave national emergency." - Douglas MacArthur
"A better world shall emerge based on faith and understanding." - Douglas MacArthur
2. Courage
Courage is a recurring theme in MacArthur's quotes, reflecting his belief in bravery and resilience.
"Age wrinkles the body; quitting wrinkles the soul." - Douglas MacArthur
"The world is in a constant conspiracy against the brave." - Douglas MacArthur
"In war, you win or lose, live or die—and the difference is just an eyelash." - Douglas MacArthur
"We are not retreating—we are advancing in another direction." - Douglas MacArthur
"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
"There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity." - Douglas MacArthur
"The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself." - Douglas MacArthur
"It is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it." - Douglas MacArthur
"The world is in a constant conspiracy against the brave. It's the age-old struggle: the roar of the crowd on the one side, and the voice of your conscience on the other." - Douglas MacArthur
"I've looked that old scoundrel death in the eye many times but this time I think he has me on the ropes." - Douglas MacArthur
"Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." - Douglas MacArthur
"Years wrinkle the skin. Giving up wrinkles the soul." - Douglas MacArthur
"Only those are fit to live who are not afraid to die." - Douglas MacArthur
"Have a good plan, execute it violently, and do it today." - Douglas MacArthur
"I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever." - Douglas MacArthur
3. Duty and Honor
MacArthur's quotes on duty and honor reflect his deep respect for military service and personal integrity.
"Duty, Honor, Country—those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be." - Douglas MacArthur
"By profession I am a Soldier & take pride in that fact, but I am prouder to be a father." - Douglas MacArthur
"The soldier, above all other men, is required to perform the highest act of religious offering-sacrifice." - Douglas MacArthur
"Never give an order that can't be obeyed." - Douglas MacArthur
"A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him." - Douglas MacArthur
"However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country is the noblest development of mankind." - Douglas MacArthur
"In many situations that seemed desperate, the artillery has been a most vital factor." - Douglas MacArthur
"My first recollection is that of a bugle call." - Douglas MacArthur
"In no other profession are the penalties for employing untrained personnel so appalling or so irrevocable as in the military." - Douglas MacArthur
"For those to whom much is given, much is required." - Douglas MacArthur
"Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be." - Douglas MacArthur
"The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war." - Douglas MacArthur
"There are no atheists in the foxholes of Bataan..." - Douglas MacArthur
"The untruthful soldier trifles with the lives of his countrymen and the honor and safety of his country." - Douglas MacArthur
"The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training - sacrifice." - Douglas MacArthur
4. Victory and Success
MacArthur's relentless pursuit of victory is evident in his quotes on success and triumph.
"There is no substitute for victory." - Douglas MacArthur
"War's very object is victory, not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for victory." - Douglas MacArthur
"Victory belongs to those who believe in it the most and believe in it the longest." - Douglas MacArthur
"Wars are caused by unprotected wealth." - Douglas MacArthur
"The enemy is in front of us, the enemy is behind us, the enemy is to the right and to the left of us. They can't get away this time!" - Douglas MacArthur
"In war there is no substitute for victory." - Douglas MacArthur
"Once war is forced upon us, there is no alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end." - Douglas MacArthur
"Preparedness is the key to success and victory." - Douglas MacArthur
"It is part of the general pattern of misguided policy that our country is now geared to an arms economy." - Douglas MacArthur
"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it." - Douglas MacArthur
"To dilute the will to win is to destroy the purpose of the game. There is no substitute for victory." - Douglas MacArthur
"A good soldier, whether he leads a platoon or an army, is expected to look backward as well as forward; but he must think only forward." - Douglas MacArthur
"Nine times of ten an army has been destroyed because its supply lines have been severed." - Douglas MacArthur
"We are not retreating—we are advancing in another direction." - Douglas MacArthur
"A better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past." - Douglas MacArthur
5. War and Peace
MacArthur's reflections on war and peace highlight his complex understanding of conflict and diplomacy.
"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons." - Douglas MacArthur
"This does not mean that you are warmongers. On the contrary, the soldier above all other people prays for peace." - Douglas MacArthur
"People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil." - Douglas MacArthur
"In war, as it is waged now, with the enormous losses on both sides, both sides will lose. It is a form of mutual suicide." - Douglas MacArthur
"Men since the beginning of time have sought peace." - Douglas MacArthur
"There is no security. Only opportunity." - Douglas MacArthur
"Give me ten thousand Filipino soldiers and I will conquer the world." - Douglas MacArthur
"While Asia is commonly referred to as the Gateway to Europe, it is no less true that Europe is the Gateway to Asia." - Douglas MacArthur
"The powers in charge keep us in a perpetual state of fear." - Douglas MacArthur
"Wars are caused by unprotected wealth." - Douglas MacArthur
"The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at West Point." - Douglas MacArthur
"The enemy is in front of us, the enemy is behind us, the enemy is to the right and to the left of us." - Douglas MacArthur
"The outfit soon took on color, dash and a unique flavor which is the essence of that elusive and deathless thing called soldiering." - Douglas MacArthur
"In war, indeed, there can be no substitute for victory." - Douglas MacArthur
"The issues which today confront the nation are clearly defined and so fundamental as to directly involve the very survival of the Republic." - Douglas MacArthur
6. Leadership
MacArthur's leadership quotes reveal his philosophy on commanding and inspiring others.
"You are remembered for the rules you break." - Douglas MacArthur
"Never give an order that can't be obeyed." - Douglas MacArthur
"The inescapable price of liberty is an ability to preserve it from destruction." - Douglas MacArthur
"In short, is American life of the future to be characterized by freedom or by servitude, strength or weakness?" - Douglas MacArthur
"One cannot wage war under present conditions without the support of public opinion." - Douglas MacArthur
"A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him." - Douglas MacArthur
"For those to whom much is given, much is required." - Douglas MacArthur
"In this situation, it becomes vital that our own country orient its policies in consonance with this basic evolutionary condition." - Douglas MacArthur
"I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." - Douglas MacArthur
"My staff was unanimous in believing that Japan was on the point of collapse and surrender." - Douglas MacArthur
"Men will not fight and die without knowing what they are fighting and dying for." - Douglas MacArthur
"A soldier plods and groans, sweats and toils, he growls and curses, and at the end he dies." - Douglas MacArthur
"The scale and grandeur of the Russian effort mark it as the greatest military achievement in all history." - Douglas MacArthur
"The hated system of land tenure, so contributory to general unrest in Asia, has been abolished." - Douglas MacArthur
"Life is a lively process of becoming." - Douglas MacArthur
7. Life and Age
MacArthur's reflections on life and aging provide a unique perspective on the passage of time and personal growth.
"Years wrinkle the skin. Giving up wrinkles the soul." - Douglas MacArthur
"Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind." - Douglas MacArthur
"You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear." - Douglas MacArthur
"In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber." - Douglas MacArthur
"I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil." - Douglas MacArthur
"Even when opportunity knocks, a man still has to get up off his seat and open the door." - Douglas MacArthur
"There is not one incident in the history of humanity in which defeatism led to peace which was anything other than a complete fraud." - Douglas MacArthur
"I stand on this rostrum with a sense of deep humility and great pride—humility in the weight of those great American architects of our history." - Douglas MacArthur
"Security lies in our ability to produce." - Douglas MacArthur
"I've looked that old scoundrel death in the eye many times but this time I think he has me on the ropes." - Douglas MacArthur
"A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week." - Douglas MacArthur
"The great question is, can war be outlawed from the world?" - Douglas MacArthur
"The nations of the world will have to unite for the next war will be an interplanetary war." - Douglas MacArthur
"In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield." - Douglas MacArthur
"Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world, and that God will preserve it always." - Douglas MacArthur
8. Patriotism and Freedom
MacArthur's deep love for his country and his commitment to freedom are evident in his patriotic quotes.
"The President of the United States ordered me to break through the Japanese lines and proceed from Corregidor to Australia." - Douglas MacArthur
"Americans never quit." - Douglas MacArthur
"History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline." - Douglas MacArthur
"Our government has kept us in a perpetual state of fear—kept us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor." - Douglas MacArthur
"If I had one more division like this First Marine Division I could win this war." - Douglas MacArthur
"Our country is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria." - Douglas MacArthur
"Talk of imminent threat to our national security through the application of external force is pure nonsense." - Douglas MacArthur
"Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won." - Douglas MacArthur
"The Puerto Ricans forming the ranks of the gallant 65th Infantry on the battlefields of Korea are writing a brilliant record of achievement in battle." - Douglas MacArthur
"By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder—infinitely prouder—to be a father." - Douglas MacArthur
"Up to fifty atomic bombs should be dropped on Chinese cities." - Douglas MacArthur
"I have every confidence in the ultimate success of our joint cause; but success in modern war requires something more than courage and a willingness to die." - Douglas MacArthur
"Worry, doubt, fear and despair are the enemies which slowly bring us down to the ground and turn us to dust before we die." - Douglas MacArthur
"By profession, I am a soldier and take great pride in that fact, but I am also prouder, infinitely prouder, to be a father." - Douglas MacArthur
"It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh." - Douglas MacArthur
Conclusion
Douglas MacArthur's quotes offer a profound insight into the mind of a leader who saw the world through the lens of duty, honor, and courage. His words continue to inspire generations, reminding us of the values that define true leadership and the everlasting quest for peace and victory. MacArthur's legacy is not only etched in the annals of military history but also in the hearts of those who strive for greatness in any field of endeavor.
May the wisdom of Douglas MacArthur continue to guide and inspire us in our own journeys.
Check out our quote collections
- Success & Achievement
- Entrepreneurship & Business
- Persistence & Resilience
- Personal Growth & Self-Improvement
- Mindset & Mental Strength
- Confidence & Self-Belief
- Life Wisdom & Purpose
- Happiness & Joy
- Change & Transformation
- Leadership & Influence
- Relationships & Communication
- Daily Inspiration
- Overcoming Fear
- Creativity & Innovation
- Health & Wellness
- Achievement & Victory
- Goal Setting & Dreams
- Wealth & Prosperity
- Career & Professional Success
- Excellence & Quality
- Performance & Results
- Competition & Winning
- Recognition & Fame
- Power & Influence
- Strategy & Planning