Bernard Law Montgomery Inspirational Quotes (10)

Decisions! And a general, a commander in chief who has not got the quality of decision, then he is no good.

Why does soldiers leave the protection of his trench hole in the ground and go forward in the face of shot and shell? It is because of the leader who is in front of him and his comrades who are around him. Comradeship makes a man feel warm and courageous when all his instincts tend to make him cold and afraid.

On the eve of this great adventure I send my best wishes to every soldier in the Allied team. To us is given the honour of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history and in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our doings.

Let no man surrender so long as he is unwounded and can fight.

If we lose the war in the air we lose the war and lose it quickly.

Discipline strengthens the mind so that it becomes impervious to the corroding influence of fear.

Rule 1, on page 1 of the book of war, is: 'Do not march on Moscow'... Rule 2 is: Do not go fighting with your land armies in China.

The commander must decide how he will fight the battle before it begins. He must then decide who he will use the military effort at his disposal to force the battle to swing the way he wishes it to go he must make the enemy dance to his tune from the beginning and not vice versa.

My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.

Every soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole.