James Mattis Quotes

“You are part of the world's most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.”

— James Mattis

“Demonstrate to the world there is 'No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy' than a U.S. Marine.”

— James Mattis

No war is over until the enemy says it's over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote.

— James Mattis

“I don't lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.”

— James Mattis

“We've backed off in good faith to try and give you a chance to straighten this problem out. But I am going to beg with you for a minute. I'm going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.”

— James Mattis

“The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.”

— James Mattis

“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.”

— James Mattis

“Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they're so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.”

— James Mattis

In this age, I don't care how tactically or operationally brilliant you are, if you cannot create harmony-even vicious harmony-on the battlefield based on trust across service lines, across coalition and national lines, and across civilian/military lines, you need to go home, because your leadership is obsolete. We have got to have officers who can create harmony across all those lines.

— James Mattis

“There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.”

— James Mattis

“There are some people who think you have to hate them in order to shoot them. I don't think you do. It's just business.”

— James Mattis

“You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it's going to be bad.”

— James Mattis

“Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down.”

— James Mattis

“You've been told that you're broken. That you're damaged goods ... there is also Post-Traumatic Growth. You come back from war stronger and more sure of who you are.”

— James Mattis

PowerPoint makes us stupid.

— James Mattis

“You can overcome wrong technology. Your people have the initiative, they see the problem, no big deal ... you can't overcome bad culture. You've gotta change whoever is in charge.”

— James Mattis

I would happily storm hell in the company of these troops ... how strongly they have demonstrated to the world that free men and women can fight like the dickens.

— James Mattis

It is mostly a matter of wills. Whose will is going to break first? Ours or the enemy's?

— James Mattis

“Fight with a happy heart.”

— James Mattis

Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot.

— James Mattis

“Ultimately, a real understanding of history means that we face NOTHING new under the sun.”

— James Mattis

“You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling.”

— James Mattis

“We have the most skillful, firecest, and certainly the most ethical ground forces in the world ... I'm not saying we have to commit right now, but certainly don't pull it off the table.”

— James Mattis

An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.

— James Mattis

“Treachery has existed as long as there's been warfare, and there's always been a few people that you couldn't trust.”

— James Mattis

“A country that armed Stalin to defeat Hitler can certainly work alongside enemies of al-Qaida to defeat al-Qaida.”

— James Mattis

“It's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling.”

— James Mattis

“In a country with millions of people & cars going everywhere, the enemy is going to get a car bomb out there once in a while.”

— James Mattis

“The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.”

— James Mattis