Quotes by Smedley Butler - Page 1

We must take the profit out of war.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Profit
Racket
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War is just a racket... I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else.
Smedley Butler / Author
Peace
War
Adequate
Believe
Coastline
Defense
Racket
War Believe I Believe
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It is dressed into speeches about patriotism, love of country...but the profits...skyrocket.
Smedley Butler / Author
Age
Country
Dark
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One hundred and twenty Marines were detailed to officer a force of twenty-six hundred Haitians.
Smedley Butler / Author
Marine
Six
Twenties
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We must permit the youth of the land who would bear arms to decide whether or not there should be war.
Smedley Butler / Author
Arms
Permit
Youth
Bear
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There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights.
Smedley Butler / Author
Peace
Home
War
Bill Of Rights
Defense
Rights
Should
Two
Things
Only
Bill
Fight
Homes
Other
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War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious.
Smedley Butler / Author
Peace
War
Racket
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Why don't those damn oil companies fly their own flags on their personal property-maybe a flag with a gas pump on it.
Smedley Butler / Author
Flags
Oil
Pumps
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For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Racket
Retired
Soldier
Suspicion
Years
Civil
Fully
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War like any other racket, pays high dividends to the very few. The cost of operations is always transferred to the people who do not profit.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Cost
People
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My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military.
Smedley Butler / Author
Animation
Military
Suspended
Typical
Faculties
Mental
Obeyed
Orders
Remained
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War is a racket. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.
Smedley Butler / Author
Peace
War
Dollars
International
Loss
Racket
Scope
Reckoned
Losses
Profits
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...The war (WWI) cost your Uncle Sam $52 billion. $39 billion was expended in the actual war period. This expenditure yielded $16 billion in profits.
Smedley Butler / Author
Uncles
Age
War
Dark
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If only more of today's military personnel would realize that they are being used by the owning elite's as a publicly subsidized capitalist goon squad.
Smedley Butler / Author
Military
Squad
Today
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My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.
Smedley Butler / Author
Peace
War
Military
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Only those who would be called upon to risk their lives for their country should have the privilege of voting to determine whether the nation should go to war.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Country
Should Have
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I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in.
Smedley Butler / Author
Boys
Cities
Cuba
Decent
Haiti
Mexico
Oil
Bank
Collect
Interests
Revenues
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I spent thirty-three years in the Marines, most of my time being a hlgh class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism.
Smedley Butler / Author
Men
Marine
Wall
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The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
Smedley Butler / Author
America
Dollars
Percent
Restless
Soldier
Trouble
Dollar
Flag
Follow
Follows
Gets
Goes
Overseas
Soldiers
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I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General.
Smedley Butler / Author
Active
Country
Marine
Marine Corps
Military
Military Force
Months
Agile
Commissioned
Corps
Lieutenant
Member
Ranks
Served
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I had a swell racket. I was rewarded with honors, medals, promotions. l might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate a racket in three city districts. The Marines operated on three continents.
Smedley Butler / Author
Cities
Honor
Marine
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No one told these American soldiers they might be shot down by bullets made by their own brothers here. No one told them that the ships on which they were going to cross might be torpedoed by submarines built with US patents.
Smedley Butler / Author
Brother
Dark
Soldier
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My interest is, my one hobby is, maintaining a democracy. If you get these 500,000 soldiers advocating anything smelling of Fascism, I am going to get 500,000 more and lick the hell out of you, and we will have a real war right at home.
Smedley Butler / Author
Home
War
Real
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I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
Smedley Butler / Author
Banking
Brother
China
Dominican Republic
House
International
Light
Nicaragua
Oil
Republic
Sugar
American
Brothers
Helped
Interests
Standard
Purify
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War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Believe
Majority
People
Racket
Seems
Inside
Benefit
Expense
Group
Masses
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Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few - the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Acquire
Blood
Dollars
General Public
Nations
Shoulders
Territory
Additional
Bill
Exploited
Newly
Promptly
Victorious
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I served in all commissioned ranks from a second Lieutenant to a Major General. And during that time, I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street, and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism.
Smedley Butler / Author
Bankers
Big Business
Capitalism
My Time
Wall
Muscle
Time Business Man
General
Commissioned
Short
Street
Major
Lieutenant
Ranks
Second
Served
Spent
Wall Street
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I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
Smedley Butler / Author
Men
Marine
Wall
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The normal profits of a business concern in the United States are six, eight, ten, and sometimes twelve percent. But war-time profits - ah! that is another matter - twenty, sixty, one hundred, three hundred, and even eighteen hundred per cent - the sky is the limit.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Concern
Eight
Hundred
Normal
Percent
Six
Sky
States
Ten
Twelve
United States
Ah
Cent
Per
Limit
Profits
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...Senate Doc. # 259. The 65th congress(:)...The coal companies made between 100% and 7,856% on their capital stock during the war (to end all wars, WWI). ...The leather people sold your Uncle Sam hundreds of thousands of saddles for the calvary. But there wasn't any calvary overseas!
Smedley Butler / Author
Uncles
War
Dark
People
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A few profit - and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Groups
Wipe
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I selected an enormous Marine Corps emblem to be tattooed across my chest. It required several sittings and hurt me like the devil, but the finished product was worth the pain. I blazed triumphantly forth, a Marine from throat to waist. The emblem is still with me. Nothing on earth but skinning will remove it.
Smedley Butler / Author
Hurt
Marine
Pain
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I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long... Looking back on it, I feel I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. We Marines operated on three continents.
Smedley Butler / Author
Cities
Marine
Wall
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I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Believe
Fighting
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War is a racket. It always has been... A few profit - and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Conferences
Disarmament
Geneva
Groups
Pay
Profit
Racket
Wipe
War Peace Always
Been
Effectively
Eliminate
Few
Impractical
Resolutions
Stop
Smashed
Taking
Well-Meaning
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War Is A Racket : I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all members of the military profession I never had an original thought until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher- ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service
Smedley Butler / Author
War
Military
Order
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I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.
Smedley Butler / Author
Boys
Brother
Wall
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