35+ Norman Schwarzkopf Quotes From The US Army General

Oluwatosin Michael
Dec 12, 2023 By Oluwatosin Michael
Originally Published on Mar 24, 2021
Edited by Isobel Murphy
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Norman Schwarzkopf was an American army general who led the coalition forces in the Gulf War.

He rose to fame after operation Desert Storm. This conflict was the first major crisis for the United States of America after the end of the Cold War.

Norman Schwarzkopf graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in the year 1956. He was known for his leadership skills and, as well as his leadership during Desert Storm, he served in the Vietnam War and the invasion of Grenada.

He retired shortly after the Desert Storm operation and was presented with military honors. After a very short stint in politics, he passed away in 2012 after suffering further complications of pneumonia.

In this article you will find the best quotes from this powerful military personality which will tell you all about patriotism, focus and dedication to your duty.

Among these Norman Schwarzkopf quotes, you will find Norman Schwarzkopf quotes about war, Norman Schwarzkopf quotes about leadership, Norman Schwarzkopf quotes about patriotism, Norman Schwarzkopf quotes about America, and Norman Schwarzkopf quotes about peace.

If you like these Norman Schwarzkopf quotes, you may also want to check out these Stonewall Jackson quotes and Von Clausewitz quotes to read more quotes from army generals from the past.

The Best Norman Schwarzkopf Quotes

USA Military uniform Officer

Here are some of the best general Norman Schwarzkopf quotes that throw light on his perspective and philosophy towards life as well as some short quotes by Norman Schwarzkopf about Desert Storm and much more.

These quotes will tell you what made him stand out from other soldiers and might show why is he considered one of the finest army generals to ever exist in the United States military.

What will you learn from these Norman Schwarzkopf quotes?

1. "The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

2. "The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

3. "I’ve met a lot of leaders that were very very competent but they didn’t have character."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

4. "For every job some leaders did well in the army they sought reward in the form of promotions, awards and decorations in the form of getting ahead at the expense of somebody else."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

5. "I hate war. Absolutely, I hate war."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

6. "It is God's job to forgive... It is our job to arrange a face to face meeting."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

7. "I get angry at a principle, not a person."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

8. "Choose to win. Get mad, then get over it."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

9. "An awful lot has been written about my temper."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

10. "I'm not a politician. I'd make a lousy politician."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

11. "A very great man once said you should love your enemies and that's not a bad piece of advice."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

12. "A professional soldier understands that war means killing people."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

13. "War means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

14. "I like to say I'm not a hero."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

15. "The US military, and the US Army particularly, has long been known to be a subculture all of its own so the words duty, honor, and country should be examined in the context of that culture."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

16. "Character is constructed of many separate concepts such as those identified in the coding: duty, honor, country; humility; integrity and competence and thus is considered a theme."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

17. "I'd like to think I'm a caring human being."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

Inspirational Norman Schwarzkopf Quotes

The personality of a soldier is often extremely inspiring. Their dedication, courage and overall optimism are something that many people choose to learn from.

Here are some of the most inspirational war quotes and military leadership quotes from Norman Schwarzkopf. In this list of Norman Schwarzkopf quotes, you will also find plenty of US military quotes by Norman Schwarzkopf that will give you something to think about.

18. "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."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

19. "I prided myself on being unflappable even in the most chaotic of circumstances."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

20. "Do what is right, not what you think the high headquarters wants or what you think will make you look good."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

21. "I've always felt that I was more than one-dimensional."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

22. "True courage is being afraid, and going ahead and doing your job anyhow, that's what courage is."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

23. "Fear will keep you alive in a war. Fear will keep you alive in business. There's nothing wrong with fear."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

24. "I am living proof that if you catch prostate cancer early, it can be reduced to a temporary inconvenience, and you can go back to a normal life."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

25. "I may have made my reputation as a general in the Army and I'm very proud of that."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

26. "War is a profane thing."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

Norman Schwarzkopf Leadership Quotes

Norman Schwarzkopf was particularly well known for his leadership. His views on leading an army are different and creative and he made it clear that it is not possible to carry out a serious operation without great leadership skills.

Here are some of the greatest leadership quotes and military quotes about honor by Norman Schwarzkopf to give you more of an idea about the kind of person, and the kind of leader, he was.

27. "Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

28. "When placed in command, take charge."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

29. "You learn far more from negative leadership than from positive leadership."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

30. "When you learn how not to do it, you learn how to do it."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

31. "Leadership consists of character and strategy. If you can't have both, opt for character."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

32. "I was lucky enough to lead a very successful war."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

33. "If you leave here with the word duty planted in your mind,  if you leave here with the word honor carved into your soul,  if you leave here with love of country stamped on your heart, then you’ll be the 21st century leader worthy."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

34. "We did lose something in Vietnam. We lost our integrity. There was a terrible erosion of integrity within our leadership."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

35.  "Leadership is about people. Effective leadership is about building relationships."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

36. "... I say I sleep a lot, I get enough sleep, but I don't get enough rest because I wake up 15, 20, 25 times in the middle of the night, and my brain is just in turmoil over some of these agonizingly difficult decisions that I have to make."

- Norman Schwarzkopf.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Norman Schwarzkopf quotes then why not take a look at these Napoleon quotes or Cold War quotes for more quotes about war and war leaders throughout history that we can all learn something from.

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Written by Oluwatosin Michael

Bachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology

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Oluwatosin MichaelBachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology

With a Bachelor's in Microbiology from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oluwatosin has honed his skills as an SEO content writer, editor, and growth manager. He has written articles, conducted extensive research, and optimized content for search engines. His expertise extends to leading link-building efforts and revising onboarding strategies. 

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