James Mattis Quotes
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Ultimately, a real understanding of history means that we face nothing new under the sun.
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Don't create more enemies than you take out by some immoral act.
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Fight with a happy heart.
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There is only one 'retirement plan' for terrorists.
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Prime Minister Maliki, released from American restraint, acted on his worst instincts, creating enormous distrust in Iraq's Kurdish population and deeply embittering Sunnis in western Iraq's Al Anbar, who lost any confidence in a Baghdad government they saw as adversarial.
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We know that in tough times, cynicism is just another way to give up, and in the military, we consider cynicism or giving up simply as forms of cowardice.
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I don't have the best track record with quotes.
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Gains achieved at great cost against our enemy in Afghanistan are reversible.
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I can't tell you the number of times I looked down at what was going on on the ground, or I was engaged in a fight somewhere, and I knew within a couple of minutes how I was going to screw up the enemy. And I knew it because I'd done so much reading.
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I don't write policy for my government.
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For whatever trauma came with service in tough circumstances, we should take what we learned - take our post-traumatic growth - and, like past generations coming home, bring our sharpened strengths to bear, bring our attitude of gratitude to bear.
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It's not an easy course. It's not designed to be. We're not here to get you in touch with your inner child.
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The fundamental question I believe is, 'Is political Islam in our best interest?' If not, what is our policy to authoritatively support the countervailing forces?
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I was a Marine for 41 years, and it wasn't long enough. We enjoy putting on that uniform.
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What we achieved was a nuclear pause, not a nuclear halt.
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I would storm the gates of Hell if Third Marine Air Wing was overhead.
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I'm on record that it didn't really traumatize me to do away with some people.
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Wherever the enemy wants to fight, we will follow him to the ends of the Earth. We'll adapt, we'll train, we'll advise, we'll mentor, and we'll fight, and we'll fight well.
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I don't lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.
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The military can buy our diplomats some time.
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I've had some 'riotous excursions of the human spirit' alongside the young Sailors and Marines, and it's time to leave the stage to the young leaders who got their rank the old-fashioned way - they earned their stripes in combat.
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I don't worry about stress. I create it.
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The U.S. military is not war weary. Our military draws strength from confronting our enemies when clear policy objectives are set and we are fully resourced for the fight.
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Since coming back from overseas, this is more of a foreign country than the places overseas. I don't understand it. It's like America has lost faith in rational thought.