James Mattis Quotes

You are part of the world's most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.

Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they're so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.

PowerPoint makes us stupid.

I don't lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.

Demonstrate to the world there is "No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy" than a U.S. Marine.

The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.

If in order to kill the enemy you have to kill an innocent, don't take the shot. Don't create more enemies than you take out by some immoral act.

No war is over until the enemy says it's over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote.

There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline...you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.

You've been told that you're broken. That you're damaged goods ... there is also Post-Traumatic Growth. You come back from war stronger and more sure of who you are.

You can overcome wrong technology. Your people have the initiative, they see the problem, no big deal ... you can't overcome bad culture. You've gotta change whoever is in charge.

There are some people who think you have to hate them in order to shoot them. I don't think you do. It's just business.

You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it's going to be bad.

Nothing keeps me awake at night. I keep other people awake at night.

Ultimately, a real understanding of history means that we face NOTHING new under the sun.

I would happily storm hell in the company of these troops ... how strongly they have demonstrated to the world that free men and women can fight like the dickens.

Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.

It is mostly a matter of wills. Whose will is going to break first? Ours or the enemy's?

A country that armed Stalin to defeat Hitler can certainly work alongside enemies of al-Qaida to defeat al-Qaida.

An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.

There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. It's really great.

Fight with a happy heart and strong spirit.

Treachery has existed as long as there's been warfare, and there's always been a few people that you couldn't trust.

We can kill lots of people. We do kill lots of people. We can destroy virtually anything we choose to destroy.

In a country with millions of people & cars going everywhere, the enemy is going to get a car bomb out there once in a while.

General [James] Mattis's primary experience - indeed, his only experience - is as a member of the United States Marine Corps, where he served for 41 years. That's his experience.

Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot.

It's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling.

There is no corporation in the world that would, in a competitive environment, try and concentrate all decisions at the corporate level.

I think the core problem is much closer to recognizing where force is of value, where it is useful, and to distinguish that from situations in which war is not useful or is indeed counterproductive.

We have the most skillful, firecest, and certainly the most ethical ground forces in the world... I'm not saying we have to commit right now, but certainly don't pull it off the table.

I think, broadly speaking, the US military's role - US military activism in various parts of the Islamic world over the past several decades has been counterproductive.

What would you do differently as defense secretary to compensate for this record in which the greatest military in the world, as we are constantly told, doesn't get the job done?

Congressman [Mike] Pompeo said he believes the intelligence agencies' claims that Russia hacked the US election.

Right now, Russia's future should be wedded to Europe. Why they see NATO as a threat is beyond me. Clearly, NATO is not a threat.

We do everything humanly possible, consistent with military necessity, taking many chances to avoid civilian casualties, at all costs.

We are going to have to continue to keep the pressure on the enemy. There is no room for complacency on this.

We do not draw red lines unless we intend to carry them out. We have made very clear that we are willing to work with China, and we believe China has tried to be helpful.

Our strategy right now is to accelerate the campaign against ISIS. It is a threat to all civilized nations.

I don't see lethality as the problem. I mean, the lethality of US forces is quite remarkable.

We face now an era where we're going to be fighting the terrorist threat. I mean, that's simply a reality we are going to have to address that one.

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.

No matter how bad any situation, cynicism has no positive impact. Watching the news, you might notice that cynicism and victimhood often seem to go hand-in-hand, but not for veterans.

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.