General Douglas MacArthur Quotes

A collection of quotes by General Douglas MacArthur.

General Douglas MacArthur was an American military leader and one of the most prominent figures in U.S. military history. He was born on January 26, 1880, in Little Rock, Arkansas. MacArthur graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1903 and served in various military positions before becoming a general.

During World War II, MacArthur played a pivotal role in the Pacific theater as the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces. He led successful campaigns in the Southwest Pacific, reclaiming territories occupied by the Japanese. His most notable achievement was the liberation of the Philippines in 1944.

After the war, MacArthur became the effective governor of Japan, overseeing its recovery and democratization process. However, tensions arose between him and the Truman administration, leading to his dismissal in 1951.

General MacArthur is also known for his memorable speech upon receiving the Sylvanus Thayer Award at West Point in 1962, where he famously said, "Duty, honor, country; those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be."

MacArthur passed away on April 5, 1964, in Washington, D.C. His leadership, strategic brilliance, and remarkable military career earned him a place among the most influential and respected military leaders in American history.

I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live for

I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul.

General Douglas MacArthur


Last, but by no means least, courage-moral courage, the cour

Last, but by no means least, courage-moral courage, the courage of one's convictions, the courage to see things through. The world ;is in a constant conspiracy against the brave. It's the age-old struggle-the roar of the crowd on one side and the voice of your ;conscience on the other.

General Douglas MacArthur

Bravery

Only those are fit to live who are not afraid to die.

Only those are fit to live who are not afraid to die.

General Douglas MacArthur

Death

I realize that advice is worth what it costs--that is, nothi

I realize that advice is worth what it costs--that is, nothing.

General Douglas MacArthur

Advice

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as you

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

General Douglas MacArthur

Age

In war there is no substitute for victory.

In war there is no substitute for victory.

General Douglas MacArthur

War

I have known war as few men now living know it. It's very de

I have known war as few men now living know it. It's very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes.

General Douglas MacArthur

War

It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.

It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.

General Douglas MacArthur

Will Willpower

I see that old flagpole still stands. Have your troops hoist

I see that old flagpole still stands. Have your troops hoist the colors to its peak, and let no enemy ever haul them down.

General Douglas MacArthur

War

By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. Bu

By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder -- infinitely prouder -- to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle field but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, Our Father Who Art in Heaven.

General Douglas MacArthur

Father

Like the old soldier of the ballad, I now close my military

Like the old soldier of the ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye.

General Douglas MacArthur

Military

A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under

A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him.

General Douglas MacArthur

Military

No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be

No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.

General Douglas MacArthur

Freedom

Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.

Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.

General Douglas MacArthur

Military

It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.

It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.

General Douglas MacArthur

Spirituality

We are not retreating - we are advancing in another directio

We are not retreating - we are advancing in another direction.

General Douglas MacArthur

Defeat

There's no security on this earth, only opportunity.

There's no security on this earth, only opportunity.

General Douglas MacArthur

Security

The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself.

The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself.

General Douglas MacArthur

Luck

Part of the American dream is to live long and die young. On

Part of the American dream is to live long and die young. Only those Americans who are willing to die for their country are fit to live.

General Douglas MacArthur

America

The powers in charge keep us in a perpetual state of fear ke

The powers in charge keep us in a perpetual state of fear keep us in a continuous stampede of patriotic fervor with the cry of grave national emergency. Always there has been some terrible evil to gobble us up if we did not blindly rally behind it by furnishing the exorbitant sums demanded. Yet, in retrospect, these disasters seem never to have happened, seem never to have been quite real.

General Douglas MacArthur

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