Herman Melville Quotes

The enemy advances, we retreat. The enemy camps, we harass. Th enemy tires, we attack. The enemy retreats, we pursue.

I could have become a soldier if I had waited; I knew more about retreating than the man who invented retreating.

Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.

You know how you smoke out a sniper? You send a guy out in the open, and you see if he gets shot. They thought that one up at West Point.

The experienced fighting pilot does not take unnecessary risks. His business is to shoot down enemy planes, not to get shot down.

I think as a rifle platoon and company commander your view is about 1,000 meters in front of you and you hope you can cover that ground and not have to back up and give it up again.

Never try to take a fortified hill, especially if the Army on top is bigger than you are.

We want to put pressure on the defense.

Lesnar is a bully. I'd hurt him and show him that he couldn't hurt me. That doesn't sound too technical, but in a fight with Brock Lesnar, you need to go after him.

Whoever is the first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy will be fresh for the fight... Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy... By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.

Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins - this is the rule of armed struggle.

When the enemy is at ease, be able to weary him; when well fed, to starve him; when at rest, to make him move. Appear at places to which he must hasten; move swiftly where he does not expect you.

Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.

An army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness.

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.

There is but one means to extenuate the effects of enemy fire: it is to develop a more violent fire oneself.

War is not at all such a difficult art as people think. . . . In reality it would seem that he is vanquished who is afraid of his adversary and the the whole secret lies in that.

In the military we also learn principles of war which also work in a corporate setting: How do you concentrate as much of your force as possible on a critical point and take a risk elsewhere? In business that translates into focusing your investment on marketing, sales, or R&D, whichever will give you the greatest return.

Attack the enemy's strategy.

Shoot the brave officers, and the cowards will run away and take the men with them.

If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.

Remember, the enemy's gate is down.

If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.

It doesn't matter how good the enemy's weapons are. If he can't see you, he can't hit you. Cover, cover, cover. Make sure you're never exposed.

When the enemy advances, withdraw; when he stops, harass; when he tires, strike; when he retreats, pursue.