Frederick the Great Quotes

If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War.

The American people like a President who is for peace, but they also want to know that he is ready to kill.

Unjust war is to be abhorred; but woe to the nation that does not make ready to hold its own in time of need against all who would harm it! And woe thrice over to the nation in which the average man loses the fighting edge, loses the power to serve as a soldier if the day of need should arise!

To secure peace is to prepare for war.

An army is a diversion of energy from the productive life of a nation.

… there is not anything, amongst civil affairs, more subject to error than the right valuation and true judgment concerning the power and forces of an estate…. Walled towns, stored arsenals and armouries, goodly races of horses, chariots of war, elephants, ordnance, artillery, and the like, all this is but a sheep in a lion’s skin, except the breed and disposition of the people be stout and warlike.

The existence of such a war chest might go far to strengthen our prestige and frighten off any would be assailant.

I told you about the jet fighters. Well it's like that with so many other things. So we are going to take care of our military.

Now that you're Secretary of War, what kind of an army do you think we ought to have?

We now have only 31 brigade combat teams or 490,000 troops. And only one-third of combat teams are considered combat-ready. That's not good for our country. I actually don't even like saying it because plenty of countries are watching us right now, but we'll get it shaped up very quickly.

When the child has reached manhood he is thoroughly saturated with the belief that he is chosen by the Lord himself to defend his country against the attack or invasion of any foreigner. It is for that purpose that we are clamoring for a greater army and navy, more battleships and ammunition.

The People's Liberation Army is always a fighting force. Even after countrywide victory, our army will remain a fighting force during the historical period in which classes have not been abolished in our country and the imperialist system still exists in the world. On this point, there should be no misunderstanding or wavering.

When defending itself against another country, a nation never lacks men, but too often, soldiers.

How could a readiness for war in time of peace be safely prohibited, unless we could prohibit, in like manner, the preparations and establishments of every hostile nation? The means of security can only be regulated by the means and the danger of attack. They will, in fact, be ever determined by these rules, and by no others . . . . If one nation maintains constantly a disciplined army, ready for service of ambition or revenge, it obliges the most pacific nations who may be within the reach of its enterprises to take corresponding precautions.

Now this brings me to my main topic - our military strength - more specifically, how to stay strong against threat from outside, without undermining the economic health that supports our security.

The most expensive thing in the world is a second-best military establishment, good but not good enough to win.

Nobody respects a country with a poor army, but everybody respects a country with a good army. I raise my toast to the Finnish army

Few would venture to deny the advantages of temperance in increasing the efficiency of a nation at war.

You can't carpet bomb ISIS if you don't have planes and bombs to attack them with. And if we continue those cuts that we're doing , not to mention additional cuts, we are going to be left with the oldest and the smallest Air Force this country has ever had, and that leaves us less safe.

It was the German schoolhouse which destroyed Napoleon III. France, since then, is making monster cannon and drilling soldiers still, but she is also building schoolhouses. As long as war is possible, anything that makes better soldiers people want.

How could a readiness for war in time of peace be safely prohibited, unless we could prohibit, in like manner, the preparations and establishments of every hostile nation?

We secured peace for our country for one and a half years, as well as an opportunity of preparing our forces for defense if fascist Germany risked attacking our country in defiance of the pact. This was a definite gain to our country and a loss for fascist Germany.

England would be better off without Canada; it keeps her in a prepared state for war at a great expense and constant irritation.

A country needs to be able to feed itself, fuel itself, and fight for itself.

We have the smallest navy since 1916, we have the lowest number of troops since the end of the Second World War. We've got to work with the congress and Donald Trump will, to rebuild our military and project American strength in the world.