Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Defeat the Taliban. Secure the population.
My dad was always the soldier I wanted to be.
In every relationship, there are two perspectives to it.
Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.
I resolved to try to steer clear of politics. That wasn't easy.
Public broadcasting makes our nation smarter, stronger and, yes, safer.
We could do good things in Afghanistan for the next 100 years and fail.
If every soldier is authorized to make one mistake, then we lose the war.
Leaders must establish common purpose and build trust within an organization.
I'm a believer in the Afghan people, so I support an increase in forces there.
Caution and cynicism are safe, but soldiers don't want to follow cautious cynics.
The military does very well taking average people and making them very good leaders.
One of the great things about America is we should not judge until we know the facts.
Like leaders in many walks of life, my business has been to serve with, and for, others.
America needs a big idea that plays to its strength. It should look to national service.
There is only one Army in which you serve. When that identity is gone, it is gone forever.
How we present ourselves matters a lot, and that's every American, not just at the senior levels.
As combat infantrymen and special operators, we received thousands of hours of firearms training.
Throughout my career, I have lived by the principles of personal honor and professional integrity.
I think with the beginning of any political administration, you have to build trust, and it takes time.
In my life as a soldier and citizen, I have seen time and time again that inaction has dire consequences.
I think every war certainly wears on national will and national patience, particularly a counterinsurgency.
I think, at the end of the day, you do better when you tend toward being transparent, even though there's some risk.
I came to believe that a leader isn't good because they're right; they're good because they're willing to learn and to trust.
Throughout history, the organizational evolution of the military has been inextricably linked with that of the business world.
The reality is when you make 'America First' a bumper sticker and pump it overseas, what you're telling them is 'America Only'.
Tensions and violence in cities across America are reminders of how quickly communities can erupt with an absence of social trust.
We need a strong civil society where the connection between different people and groups is firm and vibrant, not brittle and divided.
Christmases with Polish and Romanian troops, including religious ceremonies in crude bunkers and huts, were deeply spiritual experiences.
Anyone in a position of power is either corrupt or assumed to be corrupt, and the assumption of corruption is as bad as the reality of it.
I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal or abandon their comrades.
I knew from history that war comes with frightening regularity, often fought over the same ground and similar causes as previous conflicts.
Political campaigns offer Americans an opportunity to adjust direction, reaffirm values, and recommit to the covenant that binds them together.
I think life is hard at the combat outposts, and anything that distracts us from supporting them, in my mind, is something that we shouldn't do.
I find that if the day is terrible but I worked out, at the end of the day I can go, 'Well, I had a good workout'. Almost no matter what happens.
I want the American people to understand, we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
As our leaders in Washington confront tough decisions about our budget priorities, I urge them to continue federal funding for public broadcasting.
Wars often begin with enthusiastic vigor but typically settle into costly, dirty business characterized for soldiers by fear, frustration, and loneliness.
If you talk to a British officer or NCO about the strategic objectives of the end state, you'll often get a spirited discussion that's very well informed.
We need to defend against weaknesses within and enemies without, using the tools of civil society and hard power. We don't have to pick one over the other.
I spent a career carrying typically either an M16 or an M4 Carbine. An M4 Carbine fires a .223 caliber round, which is 5.56 mm at about 3000 feet per second.
To this day, I am saddened by Ranger Tillman's death, as I am for the loss of every service member I served with, and for the pain such losses cause each family.
When I was a lieutenant in Special Forces many many years ago, I thought I was getting fat. And I started running, and I started running distance, which I enjoyed.
One of the big takeaways from Iraq was that you have to not lose confidence in what you are doing. We were able to go to the edge of the abyss without losing hope.
With my resignation, I... left unfulfilled commitments I made to many comrades in the fight, commitments I hold sacred. My service did not end as I would have wished.
Trust is an amazing commodity. The Afghan people often talk to me about having to develop trust in America, because they believe that we deserted them in 1990 and 1991.
I can't sculpt. But if I were a sculptor, as you start to get something that actually looks like what you want, then it starts to be fun. That's the way I find writing.
The challenge that we faced with the arrival of the Obama administration is, they didn't really have time to build trust before they had to make big, difficult decisions.
Empowering, cultivating, and ultimately serving those who follow you will unlock massive potential within your organization, allowing you to solve for problems in real time.
The military likes to figure out how to do something, put it in a manual or an operating procedure, and perfect doing it, and have everyone do it the same way. I don't like that.