"[addressing the troops] I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country. Men, all this stuff you've heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans, traditionally, love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooters, the fastest runners, big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war, because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans. Now, an army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The bilious bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality for the Saturday Evening Post don't know anything more about real battle than they do about fornicating. Now, we have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. You know, by God I, I actually pity those poor bastards we're going up against, by God, I do. We're not just going to shoot the bastards; we're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel. Now, some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not you'll chicken out under fire. Don't worry about it. I can assure you that you will all do your duty. The Nazis are the enemy. Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do. Now there's another thing I want you to remember: I don't want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position. We're not holding anything. Let the Hun do that. We are advancing constantly and we're not interested in holding onto anything except the enemy. We're going to hold onto him by the nose and we're going to kick him in the ass! We're going to kick the hell out of him all the time, and we're going to go through him like crap through a goose! Now, there's one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home. And you may thank God for it. Thirty years from now when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee, and he asks you: "What did you do in the great World War II?" You won't have to say, "Well, I shoveled shit in Louisiana." All right, now, you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel. Oh... I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere. That's all."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Epic filmsBest Picture Academy Award winnersBiographical filmsUnited States National Film Registry filmsWorld War II films
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Patton_(film)
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Patton (film)
21 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Patton (film) →
Related Quotes
"[to Omar Bradley while visiting the ruins of Carthage] It was here. The battlefield was here. The Carthaginians defen…"
"[seeing his troops rout General Erwin Rommel's 21st Panzer Division at El Guettar] Rommel... you magnificent bastard,…"
"[writing about the death of his favorite aide, Captain Richard N. "Dick" Jenson, at the Battle of El Guettar] Captain…"
"[addressing 7th Army troops in an apology about the soldier-slapping incident] At ease.[Long pause] I thought I would…"
"[ranting about being assigned to lead the First United States Army Group I feel I am destined to achieve some great t…"
"[commenting to an aide, while reviewing a battle site the morning after] Fixed fortifications are man's monument to s…"
"[to staff, noting the obvious lack of German activity as winter sets in] There's absolutely no reason for us to assum…"
"[voiceover in the wake of his relief from Third Army] For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the …"
"The most refreshing thing about "Patton" is that here — I think for the first time — the subject matter and the style…"
"The epic American war movie that Hollywood has always wanted to make but never had the guts to do before."