“I have always prided myself that I do my own thinking. I have my own philosophy. I have my own answer to the reasons things have turned out in my life.”

That’s what officers must do – break the cycle of fear. If a soldier is concentrating on his own feelings and on his own fear, and he sees you moving around, he realizes that you’re sharing the burden with him. That’s why he can then move.

If combat had taught me anything, it taught me what was essential in life and what wasn’t.

Take a moment of self-reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself if you did your best.

War exposes the best and worst of those who are called to fight. I know of no man who lacked character in peace and then discovered his character in combat.

The paratroopers were the best soldiers at the infantry school and I wanted to be with the best.

A leader should strive to be an individual of flawless character, technical competence, and moral courage.

Very few men can remain poised under an artillery concentration.

Never, ever give up regardless of the adversity.

There is no need to tell someone how to do his job if you have properly trained your team.

Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.

Physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.

If you have character, that means the guy you are dealing with can trust you.

War is romantic only to those who are far away from the sounds and turmoil of battle.

The men trust in you, have faith in you, and they obey, no questions asked. That’s character in a nutshell.

I would find a nice peaceful town and spend the rest of my life in peace.

The key to being a successful combat leader is to earn respect, not because of rank, but because you are a man.

My answer is: Recognize yourself in others

The skull regarded Ralph like one who knows all the answers and won’t tell.

The bewildered soul can answer only: “Since I do not understand ‘Who I am,’ I only know what I am not.” The corollary of this emotional incertitude is snobbism, intolerance and racial hate.

If I’m educated and passionate about a topic, I’ll answer the question. But I also know when to shut the hell up.

How can one come to possess great faith? Now listen, here is the answer to that: First, the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. Faith must grow by soil, moisture, and exercise.

If you have a problem with my answer that’s your problem, not my problem.

We wander, question. But the answer waits in each separate heart – the answer of our own identity and the way by which we can master loneliness and feel that at last we belong.

Mike Huckabee says the answer to our problems is to cure all diseases. I guess no one’s thought of that before.