33 Best Douglas MacArthur Quotes

Anuoluwa Soneye
Mar 13, 2023 By Anuoluwa Soneye
Originally Published on Feb 28, 2023
Fact-checked by Oluwapelumi Iwayemi
Read these Douglas MacArthur quotes to strengthen your mindset.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 3.8 Min

Douglas MacArthur graduated from West Point when World War I and World War II was on.

Douglas MacArthur's father was an officer in the Army. Little wonder he became one of America's greatest military commanders and a field marshal to the Philippine army.

He had disagreements about how to fight the Korean war, and this was one of the events that drove him to success. Douglas MacArthur wanted to launch an assault on the People's Republic of China, which was assisting North Korea. Unfortunately, president Truman disagreed.

With this, Douglas MacArthur was removed from the military. However, soon after, America welcomed him back, with parades all over the cities.

Douglas MacArthur's Quotes On Leadership

Here are some Douglas MacArthur quotes on leadership that will inspire you.

"Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be."

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone."

"A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him."

"The best leader is the one who has sense enough to pick good men."

"Leadership is the ability to transcend the moment and to foresee the future."

"In war, you win or lose, live or die – and the difference is just an eyelash."

"Never give up. Never give in. Never, never, never."

"The leader must be an active agent, not a passive reflector of public opinion."

"Leadership is the art of the strategically possible."

"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul."

Douglas MacArthur's Quotes On War

Here are some hard truths about war that you should learn.

“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.”

"I have known war as few men now living know it."

"The destructiveness of the war potential, through progressive advances in scientific discovery, has in fact now reached a point which revises the traditional concepts of war."

"Men since the beginning of time have sought peace"

"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"

"In war, there is no substitute for victory."

“Today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won...

“Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.”

"The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers."

"Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all, in turn, have failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war."

“People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil—soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples.”

"Talk of imminent threat to our national security through the application of external force is pure nonsense."

“Once war is forced upon us, there is no alternative than to apply every available means to bring it to a swift end. War’s very object is victory-not prolonged indecision.”

“The history of the failure of war can almost be summed up in two words: too late.”

“Give me ten thousand Filipino soldiers and I will conquer the world.”

Douglas MacArthur Quotes On Life

These Douglas MacArthur quotes will teach you one or two things about life.

“I had learned one of the bitter lessons of life: never try to regain the past, the fire will have become ashes.”

"There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity."

"Like the old soldier of the ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye."

"No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation."

Douglas MacArthur Quotes On Wisdom & Courage

Explore these Douglas MacArthur quotes on wisdom and courage.

"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."

“Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”

"A better world shall emerge based on faith and understanding."

“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.”

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Sources

https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/douglas-macarthur-quotes

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur

https://everydaypower.com/douglas-macarthur-quotes/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/317613.Douglas_MacArthur

https://www.azquotes.com/author/9193-Douglas_MacArthur

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Written by Anuoluwa Soneye

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English

Anuoluwa Soneye picture

Anuoluwa SoneyeBachelor of Arts specializing in English

With a Bachelor's in English from Obafemi Awolowo University and extensive experience as an editor and tutor, Anuoluwa is an award-winning poet who now serves as a content writer for Kidadl. In his spare time, he enjoys online gaming, playing the piano, table tennis, writing poetry, and graphic design. Anuoluwa also serves as vice president of his local branch of the National Youth Service Corps (CDS).

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Fact-checked by Oluwapelumi Iwayemi

Bachelor of Science specializing in Systems Engineering

Oluwapelumi Iwayemi picture

Oluwapelumi IwayemiBachelor of Science specializing in Systems Engineering

Iwayemi is a creative content writer and editor studying for a Bachelor of Science specializing in Systems Engineering from the University of Lagos. He is skilled in research and has experience writing and editing content for different organizations.

Read full bio >