Learn from the mistakes of others. You’ll never live long

enough to make them all yourself!

Sign on a Marine Corps paraloft

To lead untrained people to war is to throw them away.

Confucius, circa 551-478 B.C.

To be a successful commander, one must combine the qualities of

leadership with a knowledge of his profession. Either without

the other is notof much avail.

Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, “Thesis on Command”U.S. Naval War College, 11 September 1926

If you’re smart you’ll learn from your mistakes. If

you’re a genius you’ll learn from other people’s

mistakes.Brazilian saying

If you find yourselfin a fair fight,

you didn’t plan properly!

(Maneuver Warfare adage)

Fools say that they learn from experience. I prefer to

learn from other people’s experience.

Otto von Bismarck, 1815-1898

The simplest solution is usually the right one!

“Occam’s razor”

If I would have asked people what they wanted they

would have saidfaster horses.

Henry Ford

Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in

touch with it.Lily Tomlin

Now this is the law of the Jungle—as old and true as the sky;And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that

shall break it must die.As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the law runneth

forward and back

For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf and the strength of the Wolf is the pack!

Rudyard Kipling, The Law of the Jungle

Never confuse movement with action!

Ernest Hemingway

Tactics is not whether you go left or right. Tactics is why you

go left or right.General Al Gray,

Commandant of the Marine Corps

Whoever can surprise well must conquer.

John Paul JonesNaval Commander American Revolutionary War

1747-1792

The most formidable warriors are students of their profession.

General Al Gray,Commandant of the Marine Corps

Take calculated risks. That is quite different than being rash.

General George S. Patton1885-1945

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics

without strategy is the noise before defeat.

Sun Tzu, circa 500 B.C.

Victory favors neither the righteous nor the wicked; it

favors the prepared.Unknown

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.

President John F. Kennedy

Denial as no survival value.

Dr. Dave Grossman

Anonymity is the most useful tool of cowards.

Four SOF Rules

1. Humans are more important than hardware

2. Quality is better than quantity3. Quality can not be mass produced4. Competency can not be created after crises

Glory is a consequence.

Time is to decisions as gravity is to momentum; an omnipresent force that must be overcome to

continue.

Good friends are the natural extension of one’s conscience.

If to please the people,we offer what we ourselves

disapprove;how can we afterwards

defend our work?George Washington

If to please the people,we offer what we ourselves

disapprove;how can we afterwards

defend our work?George Washington

You must be able to underwrite the honest

mistakes of your subordinates if you wish to develop their initiative and

experience.Lt. Gen. Bruce C. Clarke

You won’t rise to the occasion—you’ll default to

your level of training!Barrett Tillman, The Sixth Battle

The first step in resolving a moral dilemma is to determine which options are self-serving.

Leadership is not a rank.

I weigh the man, not his title. ‘Tis not the king’s stamp

can make the metal better.William Wycherley

Think thou that these magnificent, victorious Legionnaires became

what they are through some arbitrary stroke of fortune?  Nay! 

They do not sit around congratulating themselves in the wake of every victory. Nay!  They spend every moment refining and

improving their craft.  Without apology, they pursue excellence.

A Roman observer of Legionnaires

The mind is the first to quit.

An organization which discourages controversy, encourages mediocrity.

Never underestimate a person willing to die for a cause.

A warrior’s most formidable weapon is his mind.

General A.M. Gray,Commandant of the Marine Corps

A perfect tactical plan is like a unicorn because anyone can tell you what one looks like, but no one has actually ever seen one.

When you don’t know what to do, do what you know!

Quality must be judged, not measured.

We can not pay people to do their best, nor can we order

them to excel.

When no one is an expert anyone can be.

Who can surprise wellmust conquer.

Admiral John Paul Jones10 February 1778

(in a letter to Benjamin Franklin)

Time is everything; five minutes make the difference between

victory and defeat.Admiral Lord Nelson, 1758-1805

Nothing is so important in war as an undivided command.

Napoleon I, Maxims of War, 1831

You can either learn the lessons in the classroom or wait until

the suspect teaches them to you on the streets!

Commander Daryl Evans, LASDMay 15, 2005

Do that which is difficult,while it is easy.

Sun Tzu

Learn o obey before you command.

Solon of Athens, 638-559 B.C.

Only those who understand a rule should be allowed to

break it!

Next time and never are not as far apart as people think.

They are separatedonly by deception.

What “could have been” are lessons.Learn from them.

What “might be” are goals. Focus on them.

Never trade luck for skill!

There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept! Ansel Adams

The important things are always simple.

The simple things arealways hard.

A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory

is not possible.Polybius,

The Rise of the Roman Empirecirca 125 BC

Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything

about it!Murphy’s Laws of Combat

Do you see any law enforcement parallels?

We have verified the inevitable—that inadequately trained officers cannot train troops

effectively.General Lesley J. McNair, 1943

quoted in Khan, McNair, Educator of an Army

It is far better to be known for what you can do, than

what you have done.

Friendly relations contribute a lot to diminish the friction of

war. Comradeship is theoil in the machine

Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart

Errors of judgment there must be in war, and few would cavil at them, especially those due to

the fog of war. But it is different when the fog isself-created by confused

thought and limited study.Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart

When duty and honor conflict—choose honor.

The most formidable warriors are students of their profession.

General Al GrayCommandant of the Marine Corps

And what they say about a disease applies here. What is at first easy to cure but difficult to

recognize is later, left unrecognized and untreated,

easy to recognize but difficult to cure.

Attributed to Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

The history of failure in war can almost be summed up in

two words: too late.General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur

stated 16 September 1940 and quoted in his book, A Soldier Speaks, 1965

Organizations created to fight the last war better are not going

to win the next.General James M. Gavin, 1907-1987

War is a science for those who are outstanding; an art for

mediocrities; a trade for ignoramuses.Frederick the Great, 1712-1786

Whether people agree with you or not, is not as

important as whether they believe you.

Good tactics no only leave your enemy defeated, but confused!

General Al GrayCommandant of the Marine Corps

The likelihood of an event occurring as predicted is in inverse proportion to the

amount of effortpreparing for it!

Avoid assignments which may result in the use of your name

for roads and buildings.

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot

change their mindscannot change anything.

George Bernard Shaw

The amount of confusion in a command post is in direct proportion to the distance it is from the incident!

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built

the ark, professionalsbuilt the Titanic.

An army of deer led by a lion is more to be feared

than an army of lionsled by a deer.Philip of Macedon (382-336 BC)

There are no bad regiments; there are only

bad colonels.Attributed to Napoleon I, 1769-1821

True intelligence is defined as the wisdom attained through

stupid decisions.True stupidity is defined as one's inability to identify

stupid decisions.

A good plan implemented now is better than a perfect

plan implemented later.

Lt. Gen. George Patton(paraphrased)

I am more afraid of our own mistakes than of our

enemies’ designs.Pericles: Speech to the Athenians, 432 B.C.

Never fight when youcan’t win.

Never fight when it’s not worth winning.

Never fight foranger alone.

You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.

Henry Ford

Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

Law of Probable Dispersion

The will to win is important,but the will to prepare

is vital!Joe Paterno

It is a bad plan thatcannot be altered.

Publilius Syrus, 1st Century B.C. Sententiae

To be defeated is pardonable; to be surprised—never!

Napoleon, Maxims of War, 1831

I have no particular talent.I am merely extremely

inquisitive.Albert Einstein

Good questions outrank easy answers.

The man who is prepared has his battle half fought.

Miguel de Cervantes,Don Quixote, 1615

Do make it clear that generalship, at least in my case, came not by instinct, unsought,

but by understanding, hard study and brain concentration.

T.E. Lawrence “Lawrence of Arabia” as quoted in Lawrence of Arabia by B.H.L. Hart

Successful generals make plans to fit circumstances, but do not try to create circumstances to

fit plansGeorge S. Patton, Jr., War As I Knew It, 1947

The main thing is always to have a plan;

if it is not the best plan,it is at least better than no

plan at all!General Sir John Monash

(taken from a letter written in 1918)

No new weapons can be introduced without changing

conditions, and every change in condition will demand a

modification in the application of

the principles of war.Major General J.F.C. Fuller

The same man cannot be well skilled in everything; each

has his own special excellence.

Euripides (c.480—406 B.C.) Rhesus

Weapons are ominous tools to be used only when there is no alternative.

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

If other factors are equal, the simplest plan is preferred.

U.S. Army Field Manual 100-5, 19 February 1962

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence therefore is

not an act but a habit.

Aristotle (384-322B.C.) Greek philosopher and

tutor of Alexander the Great

Do not confuse good fortune, good tactics or good sense. They seldom accompany

one another.

Hope is a great companion,but a poor planner.

Success is the flash of an idea, followed by equal

parts of thought and action.

The “art” of waris the application of the

science!

Do not confuse simple with ease. Simplicity requires

effort.

We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead

people. Lead me, follow me, or get out

of my way. 

Lt. Gen. George Patton

Combat has produced more poets and philosophers than

academia ever will.

If you could dowhat you imagine,

imagine whatyou could do!

In your life’s work, it is better to be recognized

than rewarded.

Let no man be so rash as to suppose that, in donning a

general’s uniform, he is forthwith competent to perform a general’s functions; as reasonably might he

assume that in putting on the robes of a judge he was ready to

decide any point of law. . .Dennis Hart Mahan, 1864

in Dupuy, The Military Heritage of America, 1984

The most rigid barrier to truth is the assumption

you already have it.

The engines of bureaucracy are fueled

with minutia.

To the man who is afraid, everything rustles!

Sophocles (circa 495-406 BC)

An educated guess is just as accurate and far faster than compiled errors.

George S. Patton, Jr., War As I Knew It, 1947

Time spent on reconnaissance is seldom

wasted.British Army Field Service Regulations, 1912

We will either find a way or make one.Hannibal (247-183 BC)

Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.

Never trade luck for skill.

The price of readinessis eternal vigilance.

When you must choose between experience and

enthusiasm,choose enthusiasm.

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll

always get what you’ve already got.

Hope is a great companion, but a poor planner.

Chance favors theprepared mind.

Dr. Moshe F. RubinsteinTools for Thinking and Problem Solving

To be defeated is pardonable; to be surprised—never!

Napoleon, Maxims of War, 1831

If at first you don’t succeed; avoid

assignments that involve parachuting or bomb

disposal.

The last person truly prepared for disaster was Noah—and he had better

intelligence!

Tactics is the handmaiden of strategy.

Paraphrased fromCaptain Sir Basil H. Liddell Hart

The degree of criticism varies in direct proportion

to the distance from the point of responsibility.

Brigadier General W.M. Fondren, US Army, 1962

Only a predator can hunt another predator.

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

CHAOS(Chief Has Arrived On Scene)

Never fall in lovewith a plan.

The catalyst for change is discontent.

Complete honesty is redundant.

A sharp mind is thewarrior’s edge.

Never quell enthusiasm.

Good tactics have saved more lives

than good marksmanship.

To inquire if and where we made mistakes is not to

apologize.

Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, April 1964,testimony before the U.S. Congress

When it comes to tactical planning and decision

making more science yields less ambivalence.

Never blink when you bluff, smile when you lie, or sneeze

when you hide.

Distance favors marksmanship, chaos favors

training, and complexity favors education

Law enforcement officers are great decision makers,

but poor planners.Commander John Hammergren, LASD

In action it is better to order than to ask.

Sir Ian Hamilton: Gallipoli Diary, 1920

We lack dominance in cyberspace and could grow

increasingly vulnerable if we do not fundamentally change how

we view this battle-space.

General James CartwrightVice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2007

Experience may be the best teacher, but it is a ruthless

schoolmaster!

All Honors Wounds areSelf-Inflicted

A sharp mind is thewarrior’s edge.

Exploit success,don’t reinforce failure!

In protracted conflicts,the most frugal gains

an advantage.

Age doesn't always bring wisdom.

Sometimes age comes alone.

The objective is to win,not to fight!

Every man is the artisanof his own fortune.

Roman Adage

Without a staff, an army could not peel a potato.

Lt. General Hunter Liggett

Defeat cries aloud for explanation; whereas success, like charity,

covers a multitude of sins.Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, Naval Strategy, 1911

Never fall in lovewith a plan!Lt. Col. Phil Tracy, USMC,

Operation United Shield

Officers can never act with confidence until they are

masters of their profession.

Major General Henry Knox (1750-1806)

He laws of strategy are objective and apply

impartially to both hostile sides.

Marshal of the Soviet Union V.D. SokolovskiySoviet Military Strategy, 3rd Ed., 1968

In just two days,tomorrow will be yesterday.

Large operations run on their own inertia.

Capt. John Kolman, LASD

Chicken Little only had to be right once!

You can only be a martyr once!

Silence is consent!

Knowledge increases confidence, together they

increase decisiveness

In the land of the blind, theone-eyed man is king!

WAR IS MORE THAN JUST COMBAT.COMBAT IS MORE THAN JUST

SHOOTING.

We can fix ignorance but stupid is forever.

Richard “Odie” Odenthal