Portal:United States Marine Corps/Quotes archive

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List of quotes previously highlighted in this portal box:

• "We’re surrounded. That simplifies our problem of getting to these people and killing them" LtGen Lewis "Chesty" Puller (9 March - 16 March 2006)
• "I can't see how a single man could spend his time to better advantage than in the Marines." — Dan Dailey (1919) (16 March - 20 March)
• Tradition holds that in 1837, Archibald Henderson, CMC, pinned a note to his door that read, "Gone to Florida to fight the Indians. Will be back when the war is over." (20 March - 23 March)
• "The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth. " — Thomas E. Ricks (1997) in Making the Corps. (20 March - 27 March)
  
• "Leadership is the sum of those qualities of intellect, human understanding, and moral character that enables a person to inspire and control a group of people successfully." - John A. Lejeune (27 March - 1 April)
• "Those of us who have had the privilege of serving in the Marine Corps value our experience as among the most precious of our lives. The fellowship of shared hardships and dangers in a worthy cause creates a close bond of comradeship. It is the basic reason for the cohesiveness of Marines and for the pride we have in our corps and our loyalty to each other." -Senator Paul H. Douglas (1 April - 6 April)
• The development of the concept of amphibious warfare was initiated by Marine Corps Commandants who combined authority with conviction and knowledge. From its origins during the tenures of Commandants John Lejeune, Wendell Neville, and Benjamin Fuller, through the establishment of the Fleet Marine Force under General John H. Russell, all Naval Academy graduates, the development of the Marine Corps as America's expeditionary force was the result of leadership. It was backed by the experience of campaigns in the Caribbean, Central America, the Pacific and China. These leaders spoke with authority in directing new ideas because they had experienced the old ideas and borne the scars. — The Honorable John H. Dalton, Secretary of the Navy, "Timeless Traits of Leadership", USNA Graduation, Annapolis, MD, 31 May 1995. (6 April - 12 April)
• "I have just returned from visiting the Marines at the front, and there is not a finer fighting organization in the world."     — General Douglas MacArthur, US Army, on the outskirts of Seoul, Korea, 21 September 1950. (12 April - 19 April)
• "I can't say enough about the two Marine divisions. If I use words like brilliant, it would really be an under-description of the absolutely superb job they did in breaching the so-called impenetrable barrier. . .Absolutely superb operation, a textbook, and I think it'll be studied for many, many years to come as the way to do it."— General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army, 27 February 1991. (19 April - 27 April)
• "There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion." — Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army (27 April - 3 May)
• "I love the Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past." — Cpl. Jeff Sornig, USMC; in Navy Times, November 1994. (3 May - 11 May)
• "The Army and the Navy are run like traditional military services. The Air Force is run like a corporation. But the Marine Corps is a religion." — Navy Admiral (11 May - 20 May )
• "To be a sergeant you have to know your stuff. I'd rather be an outstanding sergeant than just another officer." — Daniel Daly (20 May - 29 May)
• "On behalf of all Americans I want a message sent to every member of the corps, to every place where the words Semper Fidelis is a way of life. General, tell it to the Marines, whether in ceremonial white or leatherneck blue, whether in dress greens or combat camouflage, whether they serve in the air, on land, or at sea, tell them that their countrymen are grateful. Tell them that we stand behind them. Tell them that we're proud of our proudest." - President Ronald Reagan [2], Remarks at the Change-of-Command Ceremony for the Commandant of the Marine Corps, June 26, 1983. Robert Barrow to Paul Kelley. (29 May - 11 June)
• "This thing called patriotism is not just handed to us. We must know our history, we must participate in our country’s current affairs of concern—vote for leaders—foster education for more of our people—and stand beside our country as her defenders." - General David M. Shoup, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps, 4 July 1962. (25 June - 03 July )
• "Patriotism is not something you put on each morning like a clean shirt. Patriotism is not something you can buy at the super market. Patriotism is not something you can get in return for a monthly paycheck to a man in uniform. It is devotion to an ideal—a principle; a burning desire that the things that people think are best for their country and its people are protected from erosion—protected from any and everything which would tend to lessen in the mind of the individual the image he has of how things should be in his ideal country." — General David M. Shoup, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps, 4 July 1962. (03 July - 30 July)
• "The intent of cultivating mental discipline is to produce Marines who are capable of understanding and handling the complexities of modern warfare; tactically and technically competent; capable of decision making under any combat condition; constantly thinking and situationally aware; and who posses the virtually instinctive impluse to do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way."

— Captain Jamison Yi, USMC in "MCMAP and the Warrior Ethos", Military Review, November-December 2004, page 23. (30 July - 31 August 2006)

• "The Marine Corps is proud of the fact that it is a force of combined arms, and it jealously guards the integrity of its air-ground team." — General Keith B. McCutcheon, USMC, Naval Review, 1971. (31 August - 4 October 2006)
• "My Marine service was a life-changing experience for me. A positive one that had I not had, I most likely would not be standing here today.... In that diverse company I learned to be responsible for others, I learned to depend on others, and to understand what being depended on by others really meant. I learned that there was more to the world than me, and my kind.... I learned there was joy and satisfaction to be had by looking past the mirror. By serving common interests rather than only those of self.... My three years of service connected me to the rest of the world, the world outside myself, and the connection has been permanent." — Jim Lehrer, former Marine, Harvard commencement speech, 8 June 2006. (4 October 2006 - 6 October 2006)
• "From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and is the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security." — John A. Lejeune, Marine Corps Birthday Message, Marine Corps Order No. 47, 1 November 1921 (6 October 2006 - 7 November 2006)
• "From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and is the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security." — John A. Lejeune, Marine Corps Birthday Message, Marine Corps Order No. 47, 1 November 1921 (7 November 2006 - 1 December 2006)
• "Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there." — Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, USMC, April 1965.(1 December 2006 - 31 December 2006)
• "This Nation has high expectations of her Marines — as she should. That confidence is the legacy of all those who have worn the eagle, globe, and anchor — one born from selfless service and a disciplined, educated approach to the profession of arms. Generations of Marines of every race, color, and creed have passed to us an abiding obligation to personify those traits that represent our Corps and the best of America. These traits are an inseparable part of our heritage — a heritage of service to our Nation, our Corps, our fellow Marines, and our families." — CMC General James T. Conway, 2006 Commandant's Planning Guidance. (31 December 2006 - 1 February 2007)
• "One hundred rounds do not constitute firepower. One hit constitutes firepower." — Gen. Merritt Edson, USMC (1 February 2007 - 1 March 2007)
• "At the very heart of the Corps and its relationship to each Marine is our service culture. The Marine Corps is sui generis – that is, we have a nature that is distinct from all others. This goes beyond the unique characteristics of our expeditionary Marine Air-Ground Task Forces which are always prepared to be deployed overseas. It, in fact, pertains to our warrior ethos. From the individual Marine to our institution as a whole, our model is the thinking and stoic warrior who fights more intelligently than his enemy and is inured to hardship and challenges." — CMC, General James L. Jones, June 13, 2001 (1 March 2007 - 1 April 2007)