10 quotes
Could I have but a line a century hence crediting a contribution to the advance of peace, I would gladly yield every honor which has been accorded me in war.
Macarthur and the American Century: A Reader (2001)
In war there is no substitute for victory.
farewell address to Congress (1951)
Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
War's very object is victory, not prolonged indecision. In war there is no substitute for victory.
Farewell address to Congress (1951)
That's the way it is in war. You win or lose, live or die—and the difference is just an eyelash.
Reminiscences (1964)
Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won.
Victory broadcast (1945)
It was close; but that's the way it is in war. You win or lose, live or die — and the difference is just an eyelash.
I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes.
The soldier, above all other men, is required to perform the highest act of religious teaching—sacrifice. In battle and in the face of danger and death he discloses those divine attributes which his Maker gave when He created man in his own image. No physical courage and no brute instincts can take the place of the divine annunciation and spiritual uplift which will alone sustain him.
The soldier, be he friend or foe, is charged with the protection of the weak and unarmed. It is the very essence and reason for his being. When he violates this sacred trust, he not only profanes his entire cult but threatens the very fabric of international society. The traditions of fighting men are long and honorable. They are based upon the noblest of human traits—sacrifice.