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

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

“I will confess to you that, you know, one of the statements that’s been attributed to me that I’m sort of proud of is somebody said, you know, “What do we do about Osama bin Laden?” And they asked me, “Can we forgive him?” And I said, “Forgiveness is up to God. I just hope we hurry up the meeting.” And that’s the way I feel about him, really. [8 February 2003 show of Meet The Press, NBC News]” 

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

“Success is sweet, but the secret is sweat.” 

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

“You learn far more from negative leadership than from positive leadership. Because you learn how not to do it. And, therefore, you learn how to do it.” 

"truly the best thing America has to offer the world."

"He is neither a strategist nor is he schooled in the operational arts, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general. Other than that he's a great military man."

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

"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."

"When placed in command - take charge."

"Courage brother, do not stumble, though thy path be dark as night: There is a star to guide the humble, trust in God, and do the right. Let the road be dark and dreary and its end far out of sight. Face it bravely, strong or weary. Trust God, and do"

"The Navy's battle force in the last eight years has been cut by one third. And the Air Force reports that it is now called on to mount four times as many operations with a force that has been cut by 40 percent,"

A great deal of the capability of an army is its dedication to its cause and its will to fight. You can have the best equipment in the world, you can have the largest numbers in the world, but, if you're not dedicated to your cause, if you don't have the will to fight, then, you are not going to have a very good army.

A great deal of the capability of an army is its dedication to its cause and its will to fight. You can have the best equipment in the world, you can have the largest numbers in the world, but, if you're not dedicated to your cause, if you don't have the will to fight, then, you are not going to have a very good army.

He is neither a strategist nor is he schooled in the operational arts, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general. Other than that he's a great military man.

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.

When placed in command, take charge.

War is a profane thing.

A professional soldier understands that war means killing people, war means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers.

A professional soldier understands that war means killing people, war means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers.

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

Going to war without France is like going hunting without an accordion.

As far as Saddam Hussein being a great military strategist, he is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational arts, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. Other than that, he's a great military man, I want you to know that.

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

I hate war. Absolutely, I hate war.

Good generalship is a realization that... you've got to try and figure out how to accomplish your mission with a minimum loss of human life.

Had the United States and the United Kingdom gone on alone to capture Baghdad, under the provisions of the Geneva and Hague conventions we would have been considered occupying powers and therefore would have been responsible for all the costs of maintaining or restoring government, education and other services for the people of Iraq.

Had we taken all of Iraq, we would have been like a dinosaur in the tar pit - we would still be there, and we, not the United Nations, would be bearing the costs of that occupation.

First of all, Saddam did not win the war, even though he says he did, I mean, you know, that's a joke and everybody in the world knows it.

If Saddam were to be replaced tomorrow he would probably be replaced with someone who's just as bad or worse than he is.

Particularly when you're dealing with very high ranking people, you know, you have to get their attention, they are used to, by their rank, of having their own way and doing their own thing and when it's necessary to all work together on something, sometimes you have to hit the mule between the eyes with a two by four to get its attention.

Well, unfortunately, I have always regretted the fact that I have a temper, but I also have, you know, have great love and respect for all of the people that have worked for me. I think like everything else, this is one of those things that has been blown out of proportion.

It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.

It's nice to feel that you have a purpose.

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

I may have made my reputation as a general in the Army and I'm very proud of that. But I've always felt that I was more than one-dimensional.

If it had been our intention to take Iraq, if it had been our intention to destroy the country, if it had been our intention to overrun the country, we could have done it unopposed.

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

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

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

What is postwar Iraq going to look like, with the Kurds and the Sunnis and the Shiites? That's a huge question, to my mind.

You can't help but... with 20/20 hindsight, go back and say, 'Look, had we done something different, we probably wouldn't be facing what we are facing today.'

I like to say I'm not a hero.

An awful lot has been written about my temper.

But I would defy anyone to go back over the years and tell me anyone whose career I've ruined, anyone whom I've driven out of the service, anyone I've fired from a job.

I was lucky enough to lead a very successful war.

I get angry at a principle, not a person.

Good generalship is the realisation that you've got to figure out how to accomplish your mission with the minimum loss of human life.