Sam Manekshaw

"You know I have no political ambitions. My job is to command my army and see that it is kept as a first rate instrument. Your job is to look after the country."

"The status of the field marshal of the country or the equivalent has to be unique for the nation."

"If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha."

"I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor; a gun from a howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla, although a great many resemble the latter."

"There will be no withdrawal without written orders and these orders shall never be issued."

"Then I guess Pakistan would have won (the 1971 war)."

"It's nonsense that people join the army to serve the country, like the politicians do it only for the sake of the country."

"Give me a man or a woman with common sense and who is not an idiot and I assure you can make a leader out of him or her."

"A ‘yes man’ is a dangerous man. He is a menace. He will go very far. He can become a minister, a secretary or a Field Marshal but he can never become a leader nor, ever be respected. He will be used by his superiors, disliked by his colleagues and despised by his subordinates. So discard the ‘yes man’."

"The primary, the cardinal attribute of leadership is professional knowledge and professional competence. And you will agree with me... that you cannot be born with professional knowledge and professional competence. Not even if you are the son of the Prime Minister, an industrialist, or a Field Marshal. Professional knowledge has to be acquired the hard way. It is continuous study and you never acquire it in today’s fast-moving technological world that you are living in. You have to keep up with your profession whatever you are in."

"Professional knowledge and professional competence are the main attributes of leadership. Unless you know, and the men you command know that you know your job, you will never be a leader."

"One thing remains the same. That is, your task and your duty. You are required to ensure the security of this country against any aggressor. What does that mean for you? It means that you should have to fight, and fight to win. There is no room for the loser. If you lose, don't come back."

"Whether an atom bomb is necessary or not, in this world if you want to be recognized, if you don’t want to be kicked about, you have to be powerful both militarily and economically."

"To the hypothetical question where outside India I would like to stay, I said: Naturally UK. I know the British, know their language, whereas elsewhere I will have to get myself familiar with the people and learn their language refresh."