Jim Mattis Quotes

During my time in the camps, I had got to know the enemies of the human race quite well: they respect the big fist and nothing else; the harder you slug them, the safer you will be.

I've gotten into two fights since I've begun studying the martial arts, and each time, I was worried I'd kill the guy. One of my teachers always told me I had good power but bad control.

Back when I was maybe 19, guys would go, 'I can kick your butt!' So I had a few showdowns. To my advantage, I learned martial arts, and what you really learn is not to fight.

Those who 'abjure' violence can do so only because others are committing violence on their behalf.

We don’t teach you to turn the other cheek in the South and we don’t teach you to turn the other cheek in the North. We teach you that if anyone puts his hand on you. You do your best to make sure that he does not do so to anyone else.

Any man who is a man may not, in honor, submit to threats or violence. But many men who are not cowards are simply unprepared for the fact of human savagery.

Please don't kill me!

You didn't kill him. He would have killed you, but you didn't kill him." "So? He was stupid. If I killed everyone who was stupid, I wouldn't have time to sleep.

Either you are a victim or you victimize someone and in the hood it's no holds barred. The kid in the schoolyard that doesn't want to fight always leaves with a black eye.

I'm not a gangster, I'm not a thug.. I'm just me and if I feel like someone is trying to hurt me.. yeah I'm gonna hurt 'em.. if you come and you ain't coming right I'm gonna blow your head off.

Daddy gave me real useful information to protect me in the real world. If anyone hits me, I'm not to hit them back. I wait until their back is turned, then hit them in the head with a brick.

No one wants to get their ass beat to a soundtrack.

It might or might not be right to kill, but sometimes it is necessary.

I didn't want people to go out wanting to go tool up against the bad guys (and at impressionable ages). I said, don't shy away from the violence or pull back on this, commit to this.

We have a lot of villains in the world, all right? And the Catholic doctrine says turn the other cheek, the Christian doctrine. But if you turn the other cheek, you could be annihilated. So when is it justifiable to defend yourself and take aggressive action in that regard, like dropping drones on people?

Is it wrong to kill something that wants to kill you?

Never," he spat out, "kick a man who is pointing a gun at you.

I moved to leave, and Dylan actually grabbed my shoulders. I was so surprised that i forgot to karate-chop his elbows and break his arms.' “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said urgently. “What you want does not matter here,” I said slowly and carefully. I hoped Dylan was sensitive enough to read between the lines, to the subtext of: Let go of me or I’ll kill you.

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.

If you would force me to be unarmed and helpless I would have to do everything in my power to neutralize you... Peace and love will get you killed. That doesn't sound like a hippie.

While I am a convinced pacifist there are circumstances in which I believe the use of force is appropriate - namely, in the face of an enemy unconditionally bent on destroying me and my people.

I do not wish to kill nor to be killed, but I can foresee circumstances in which these things would be by me unavoidable.

Fathers should start teaching the boys how to punch.

I grew up in a tough neighborhood and we used to say you can get further with a kind word and a gun than just a kind word.

I've never been in a street fight.