Quotes from Military Leaders to Make You a Better Leader
Every leader can be better. There’s some element of your skillset that you’ve not yet fully exploited or developed. There may be one small weakness that’s holding you back.
For us to improve as leaders, we need to occasionally take stock of our skill level and our mindset.
In honor of the men and women who served and who presently serve in the US Armed Forces, we’ve compiled useful quotes – bite-sized bits of wisdom – to help you raise your game.
The wisdom in this article is divided into three sections: On Leading, On Winning, and On Mindset.
Enjoy these quotes by both civilian and enlisted military leaders!
On Leading
You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, US President (1953-1961)
You manage things; you lead people.
Rear Admiral Grace Hopper
Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, US President (1953-1961)
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.
President John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)
Never give an order that can’t be obeyed.
General Douglas MacArthur
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
General George S. Patton
A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary, an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.
General John J. Pershing
Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader.
General George S. Patton
Leading people is the most challenging and, therefore, the most gratifying undertaking of all human endeavors.
Jocko Willink, Retired officer of the US Navy, author, podcaster
The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.
General Colin Powell, An American Politician, former US Secretary of State
A leader is a dealer in hope.
Napoléon Bonaparte, French military leader
Always try to associate yourself with and learn as much as you can from those who know more than you do, who do better than you, who see more clearly than you.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, US President (1953-1961)
Related Article: 36 Great Leadership Thoughts From General George S. Patton
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
President John F. Kennedy, US President (1961-1963)
Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, US President (1953-1961)
Following is one of the most underrated aspects of leadership. I have seen many a good [military unit] underachieve because someone…thought the commander was incompetent, and quietly worked to undermine his authority.
Admiral William McRaven
There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.
President John F. Kennedy, US President (1961-1963)
The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, US President (1953-1961)
Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.
President John F. Kennedy, US President (1961-1963)
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. He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.
General Douglas MacArthur
Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.
General Colin Powell, An American Politician, former US Secretary of State
Require nothing unreasonable of your officers and men but see that whatever is required be punctually complied with. Reward and punish every man according to his merit, without partiality or prejudice; hear his complaints; if well founded, redress them; if otherwise, discourage them, in order to prevent frivolous ones. Discourage vice in every shape, and impress upon the mind of every man, from the first to the lowest, the importance of the cause, and what it is they are contending for.
President George Washington, US President (1789-1797)
On Winning
In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins.
President Ulysses S. Grant, US President (1869-1877)
I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through–then follow through.
Captain Edward Rickenbacker, American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient
The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.
Napoléon Bonaparte, French military leader
Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan.
President John F. Kennedy, US President (1961-1963)
Two commanders on the same field are always one too many.
President Ulysses S. Grant, US President (1869-1877)
Related Article: Quotes to Honor Enlisted Soldiers
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
Napoléon Bonaparte, French military leader
The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.
President Ulysses S. Grant, US President (1869-1877)
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.
General Colin Powell, An American Politician, former US Secretary of State
I don’t underrate the value of military knowledge, but if men make war in slavish obedience to rules, they will fail.
President Ulysses S. Grant, US President (1869-1877)
On Mindset
Once you say you’re going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.
President John F. Kennedy, US President (1961-1963)
If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing: You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body is never tired if the mind is not tired.
General George S. Patton
There is no security on the Earth, there is only opportunity.
General Douglas MacArthur
Circumstances-what are circumstances? I make circumstances.
Napoléon Bonaparte, French military leader
Related Article: 33 Amazing Quotes on Mindset
Leadership requires belief in the mission and unyielding perseverance to achieve victory.
Jocko Willink, Retired officer of the US Navy, author, podcaster
99% of failures come from people who make excuses.
President George Washington, US President (1789-1797)
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand.
General Colin Powell, An American Politician, former US Secretary of State
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
President John F. Kennedy, US President (1961-1963)
Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
President George Washington, US President (1789-1797)
Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.
Napoléon Bonaparte, French military leader
Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.
President George Washington, US President (1789-1797)
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
President John F. Kennedy, US President (1961-1963)
Thanks for reviewing these quotes from military leaders. Which quotes affected you the most?
Make it a great day!
