176 Military Quotes to Honor our Heroes (2021)

The brave men and women of the military should always be honored for their sacrifice, and these military quotes are the perfect words.

For those who risk their lives to protect our freedom, it is a selfless act of valor that is done without asking anything in return.

Our military deserves to be honored and appreciated. The freedom and liberty we enjoy is much because of the brave men and women of the military who dedicate their lives to protecting the nation.

Many of them have had to sacrifice their lives just so the rest of us can live in a free and prosperous society.

It takes a great amount of courage and sacrifice to do what our soldiers do. Many of these great men and women have families of their own who they have to leave behind as they go to defend their country.

The least we can do for our military men and women is to honor and be thankful for their unselfish deeds. In that respect, below are some great military quotes to celebrate and honor our brave soldiers and veterans.

Military quotes to honor our heroes

1. “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

2. “To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less.” – Andre Malraux

3. “Fortune favors the brave.” – Terence

4. “We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.”- George Orwell

5. “Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” – Alexander Hamilton

6. ”Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.”- Mary Roach

7. ”Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” – Douglas MacArthur

8. ”Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

9. ”I don’t know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me.” – The Duke of Wellington

10. ”If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly.” – David Hackworth

If you’re enjoying this article, make sure to also check out our collection of superhero quotes to inspire the best version of you.

Military quotes to honor the brave deeds of our troops

11. ”No guts, no glory.” –Major Gen. Frederick C. Blesse

12. ”This country has not seen and probably will never know the true level of sacrifice of our veterans”. As a civilian, I owe an unpayable debt to all our military. Going forward let’s not send our servicemen and women off to war or conflict zones unless it is overwhelmingly justifiable and on moral high ground.”- Thomas M Smith

13. “Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn’t even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back.”- Heraclitus

14. “It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”- George S. Patton Jr.

15. “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” – Winston Churchill

16. “Who dares, wins. Who sweats, wins. Who plans, wins.” – British Special Air Service (SAS)

17. “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste death but once.” – William Shakespeare

18. “The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers. The Soldier is also a citizen. In fact, the highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s country”- George S. Patton Jr.

19. “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight—it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”- President Dwight D. Eisenhower

20. “I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.”- John F. Kennedy

Military quotes to celebrate our heroes

21. “Soldiers can sometimes make decisions that are smarter than the orders they have been given.” – Orson Scott Card, Enders Game

22. “I am not afraid of an Army of lions lead by a sheep; I am afraid of sheep lead by a lion.” – Alexander the Great

23. “The Army is the true nobility of our country.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

24. “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” – Albert Einstein

25. “Those who give up essential liberties for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” – Benjamin Franklin

26. “This will remain the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave.” –Elmer Davis

27. “Word to the Nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard.” – John F. Kennedy

28. “The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.” – Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

29. “A leader is the man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do, and like it.” – Harry S. Truman

30. “Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” – Colonel David Hackworth

Military quotes to help us show appreciation

31. “Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.”- John F. Kennedy

32. “From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots. ― Thomas Jefferson

33. “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all. ― George Washington

34. “Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

35. “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” – Thomas Paine

36. “America without her Soldiers would be like God without His angels.”- Claudia Pemberton

37. “War is the greatest evil Satan has invented to corrupt our hearts and souls. We should honor our soldiers, but we should never honor war.”- Dean Hughes

38. “A safe army is better than a safe border”- B.R. Ambedkar

39. “We live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns.”- Aaron Sorkin

40. “No man is a man until he has been a soldier.”- Louis de Bernières

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Military quotes to make you strong

41. “Sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the Gun down.”- Malcolm X

42. “War is too important to be left to the generals.”- Georges Clémenceau

43. “Freedom is never free.” – Anonymous

44. “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.” — General H. Norman Schwarzkopf

45. “We must never forget why we have, and why we need our military. Our armed forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every one of us can sleep soundly at night, knowing we have ‘guardians at the gate.”- Allen West

46. “Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.” – George S. Patton Jr.

47. “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” – G.K. Chesterton

48. “The military might of a country represents its national strength. Only when it builds up its military might in every way can it develop into a thriving country.” – Kim Jong-un

49. “We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us.” – Winston S. Churchill

50. “It is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier … [with] discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self-confidence born of demonstrated ability.” ― George S. Patton Jr.

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Military quotes to elevate your perspective

51. “He loves his country best who strives to make it best.” – Robert G. Ingersoll

52. “This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” – Elmer Davis

53. “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but by how high he bounces when he hits bottom.” – General George S. Patton

54. “A man has integrity if his interest in the good of the service is at all times greater than his personal pride, and when he holds himself to the same line of duty when unobserved as he would follow if his superiors were present.” – General S.L.A. Marshall

55. “On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.” – Dan Lipinski

56. “If you can’t experience the humanity of people who don’t look like you, you’re not civilized enough to be an officer of the peace.”― Ann Medlock

57. “When things go wrong in your command, start wading for the reason in increasing larger concentric circles around your own desk.” – General Bruce D. Clark

58. “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick

59. “Surprise is an event that occurs in the mind of an enemy commander.”― Jerry Pournelle

60. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”- Joseph Campbell

If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of Joseph Campbell quotes to inspire long term thinking.

61. “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”- Gen. Douglas MacArthur

62. “True patriotism isn’t cheap. It’s about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going.” – Robert Reich

63. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

64. “How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” – Maya Angelou

65. “These fallen heroes represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor – and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror.” – Michael N. Castle

Military quotes that will open your eyes

66. “It would be a joke if the conduct of the victor had to be justified to the vanquished.” – Napoléon Bonaparte

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

68. “No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” – Helmuth von Moltke

69. “The objective of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.” ― George Patton

70. “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” – William Arthur Ward

71. “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” ― George Orwell

72. “If you wage war, do it energetically and with severity. This is the only way to make it shorter and consequently less inhuman.” – Napoléon Bonaparte

73. “I respect every soldier, from every country, who serves beside us in the hard work of history. America is grateful, and America will not forget.” –
George W. Bush

74. “To be prepared against surprise is to be trained. To be prepared for surprise is to be educated.” – James Carse

75. “The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it.” – Thucydides

Military quotes to inspire and teach

76. “How can men boast that they control their own destiny when they cannot solve the problems of war?” – Billy Graham

77. “True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job.” –Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr

78. “The hand of the aggressor is stayed by strength — and strength alone.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

79. “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” – Nathan Hale

80. “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.” – Douglas MacArthur

81. “It is long since I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.” – Alexander Hamilton
If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of Alexander Hamilton quotes that remain true today.

82. “Modern war is the most highly developed of all sciences. We have perfected our weapons but failed to perfect the men who use them.” – Billy Graham

83. “They’ve got us surrounded — the poor bastards.” – An unnamed medic

84. “People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” – Richard Grenier

85. “Live for something rather than die for nothing.” – General George S. Patton

Military quotes to motivate you

86. “Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.” – Carl von Clausewitz

87. “A ship without Marines is like a garment without buttons.” – Admiral David D. Porter

88. “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.” – President Dwight D. Eisenhower

89. “A person cannot be a Marine without honor.” – General Carl Epting Mundy, Jr.

90. “Americans never quit.” – General Douglas MacArthur

91. “I can’t see how a single man could spend his time to better advantage than in the Marines.” – Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly

92. “A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood.” – General George Smith Patton, Jr.

93. “A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.” – President Theodore Roosevelt

94. “It is not enough to fight. It is the spirit which we bring to the fight that decides the issue. It is morale that wins the victory.” – General George Catlett Marshall

95. “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” – Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry

Powerful military quotes

96. “It is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it.”― Douglas MacArthur

97. “The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree.” – Thomas Campbell

98. “The military don’t start wars. Politicians start wars.”― William Westmoreland

99. “In war there is no substitute for victory.” – Douglas MacArthur

100. “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” – Winston Churchill

101. “In war, there are no unwounded soldiers.” – Jose Narosky

102. “Without heroes, we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go.” – Bernard Malamud

103. “Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars.” –
George C. Marshall

104. “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

105. “The only things those people have that you don’t is guts. Do you wanna live forever?” – Merritt A. Edson

Military quotes to inspire and motivate

106. “War means fighting, and fighting means killing.”― Nathan Bedford Forrest

107. “Once we have a war there is only one thing to do. It must be won. For defeat brings worse things than any that can ever happen in war.” – Ernest Hemingway

108. “No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.” –William Penn

109. “Soldiers win battles and generals get the medals.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

110. “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never peril.” – Sun Tzu
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of Sun Tzu quotes from the iconic warrior and philospher.

111. “Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates.” – F. E. Adcock

112. “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” – Winston Churchill

113. “We make war that we may live in peace.” – Aristotle

114. “If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.” – Sun Tzu

115. “America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor.” — Paul Tsongas

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Military quotes to elevate your thoughts

116. “One who loses his life for his country will get it”― Dr.P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar

117. “Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier, or not having been at sea.” – Samuel Johnson

118. “If I charge, follow me. If I retreat, kill me. If I die, revenge me.”― USMC

119. “The courage of a soldier is found to be the cheapest and most common quality of human nature.” – Edward Gibbon

120. “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.” – George S. Patton

121. “I loved the Army as an institution and loathed every single thing it required me to do.” –Simon Raven

122. “It’s almost worth having been in the army for the joy your freedom gives you.” – John Dos Passos

123. “Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.” – George S. Patton

124. “Success in battle is not a function of how many show up, but who they are.” – Robert H. Barrow

125. “Soldiers generally win battles; generals get credit for them.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

Powerful Military quotes

126. “Those of us who have never been in the military don’t understand what it is like to serve in the military.”― Gina Barreca

127. “The army teaches boys to think like men.” – Elvis Presley

128. “I am a Soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.” – George S. Patton

129. “I owe everything to the army.” – Norman Wisdom

130. “The army is always the same. The sun and the moon change. The army knows no seasons.” – Frank Nugent

131. “A leader leads by example not by force.” – Sun Tzu

132. “An army without culture is a dull-witted army, and a dull-witted army cannot defeat the enemy.” – Mao Zedong

133. “No nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace, or ensure it of victory in time of war.” – Calvin Coolidge

134. “Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.” – Sun Tzu

135. “The Army was my bread and butter.” – Brian Lumley

You might also like these Colin Powell quotes that will inspire and motivate you to work hard for your dreams.

More military quotes and sayings

136. “The military is not so much a job, it is more of a death sentence.” – Steven Magee

137. “Military guys are rarely as smart as they think they are, and they’ve never gotten over the fact that civilians run the military.” – Maureen Dowd

138. “The military system of a nation is not an independent section of the social system but an aspect of its totality.” – Tony Judt

139. “Bein’ a soldier is not hard. If it was, soldiers would not be able to do it.” – Terry Pratchett

140. “Those who do not appreciate the soldiers and instead pompously talk about peace, should try to live a single day without the soldiers.” – Abhijit Naskar

141. “War is life multiplied by some number that no one has ever heard of.” – Sebastian Junger

142. “The power of the army is his weapon, the power of the homeland is his lovers.” – Azadshah Ganjali

143. “Heroes may not live long in years, but they live forever in the stories.” – Amit Kalantri

144. “The hero’s sacrifice becomes just the story for people.” – Amit Kalantri

145. “Civilians enjoy their time because soldiers sacrifice their time.” – Amit Kalantri

Military Quotes from Historic Americans

146. “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.” – Woodrow Wilson 

147. “To be prepared for war is one of the most “effectual means of preserving peace.” – George Washington

148. “I can’t spare this man, he fights!” – Abraham Lincoln

149. “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.” – John Dickinson

150. “Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don’t have that problem.” – Ronald Reagan

151. “Here men endured that a nation might live.” – Herbert Hoover

152. “Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state.” – Thomas Jefferson

153. “Discipline is the soul of an army.” – George Washington

154. “I almost always feel inclined, when I happen to say anything to soldiers, to impress upon them in a few brief remarks the importance of success in this contest,” – Abraham Lincoln

155. “It is a proud privilege to be a soldier – a good soldier [with]discipline, self-respect, pride in his unit and his country, a high sense of duty and obligation to comrades and to his superiors, and a self-confidence born of demonstrated ability.” – George S. Patton Jr.

156. “Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace.” – Ulysses S. Grant

Military quotes from the past

146. “It is of the nature of war to increase the executive at the expense of the legislative authority.” – Alexander Hamilton

147. “War makes extremely heavy demands on the soldier’s strength and nerves. For this reason, make heavy demands on your men in peacetime exercises.” – General Field Marshall Erwin Rommel

148. “It is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it.” – General Robert E. Lee

149. “In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten; then he who continues the attack wins.” – General Ulysses S. Grant

150. “When things go wrong in your command, start wading for the reason in increasingly larger concentric circles around your own desk.” – General Bruce C. Clarke

151. “If officers desire to have control over their commands, they must remain habitually with them, industriously attend to their instruction and comfort, and in battle lead them well.” – General Stonewall Jackson

152. “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

153. “An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep.” – Alexander the Great

154. “Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.” – John Adams

155. “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” – Abraham Lincoln

156. “Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.” – Abraham Lincoln

Military quotes about the brave men and women who serve

157. “Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” — Franklin P. Jones

158. “There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer.” — Gen. James H. Doolittle

159. “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” — Walter Elliot

160. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston S. Churchill

161. “There is no honor in sending men to die for something you won’t even fight for yourself.” — Mark Owen

162. “You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don’t ever count on having both at once.” — Robert A. Heinlein

163. “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” — Newt Gingrich

164. “When the will defies fear, when duty throws the gauntlet down to fate, when honor scorns to compromise with death — that is heroism.” — Robert Green Ingersoll

165. “War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

166. “For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had a purpose being in the Navy. It wasn’t about money and rank or prestige. It was about raising the flag. We do what we do because no one else can or will do it. We fight so others can sleep at night. And I had forgotten that.” — Timothy Ciciora

Military quotes from varying perspectives

167. “Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms.” — Groucho Marx

168. “Man is a military animal, glories in gunpowder, and loves parade.” — Philip James Bailey

169. “The world has nothing to fear from military ambition in our Government.” — James K. Polk

170. “There are no military solutions – dialogue and diplomacy are the only guarantee of lasting peace.” — Martin McGuinness

171. “I saw courage both in the Vietnam War and in the struggle to stop it. I learned that patriotism includes protest, not just military service.” — John F. Kerry

172. “Rich people don’t like to be in the military. The shoes are ugly and the uniforms itch. Rich people don’t go in much for revolution or terrorism, either.” — P. J. O’Rourke

173. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

174. “Strong government doesn’t mean simply military power or an efficient intelligence apparatus. Instead, it should mean effective, fair administration – in other words, ‘good governance.’” — Raghuram Rajan

175. “Real heroes don’t wear capes. Real superheroes wear uniforms and badges and stethoscopes! Real superheroes are members of our military, law enforcement, and first responders. Pretend superheroes wear capes!” — Dean Cain

176. “We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” — Barack Obama

Did you enjoy these military quotes collection?

It is almost impossible for a country to survive without a great army to defend it in times of war. An army is the pride of the nation.

In addition, without fearless soldiers, there can be no great army. If you have a loved one who is in the military, appreciate them with any of the above quotes and let them know that you cherish them.

Did you enjoy these military quotes? Which of the quotes was your favorite? Tell us in the comment section below. We would love to hear all about it.

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