Douglas MacArthur was an American field marshal and was important in the Pacific side of World War II as Chief of Staff of the U.S Army in the 1930s. Here are 15 quotes attributed to him:

1. ‘Age wrinkles the body, quitting wrinkles the soul’

It is better to die than it is to quit ‘ speaking about battle/war.

2. ‘A better world shall emerge based on faith and understanding’

Speaking philosophically about the understanding that should exist between cultures.

3. ‘Old soldiers never die; they just fade away’

Speaking about the need for a soldier to die on the battlefield ‘ out of war they are out of their comfort zone.

4. ‘In war, there is no substitute for victory’

Stating the importance of winning battles in war.

5. ‘You are remembered for the rules you break’

Taking risks is what gets you noticed and makes you memorable.

6. ‘The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself’

Don’t expect to be lucky, work hard and you will earn good fortune.

7. ‘Americans never quit’

Instilling the philosophy of determination and will power within the American army.

8. ‘We are not retreating, we are advancing in another direction’

Here he shows how you can make a positive out of an apparent negative situation.

9. ‘They died hard, those savage men ‘ like wounded wolves at bay’

Speaking earnestly about the brutal realities of life on the battlefield.

10. ‘It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it’

If you enter a war and don’t expect to win, you will lose and you will die.

11. ‘Part of the American dream is to live long and die young.’

Here he uses deliberate contradiction to emphasise that you can ‘live long’ without growing old.

12. ‘A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him’

Speaking modestly regarding praise bestowed upon him ‘ praising his troops instead.

13. ‘Only those Americans who are willing to die for their country are fit to live’

Here he states that you have to be willing to die in order to be allowed to live.

14. ‘In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield’

Here he is talking about his experiences of war after he was no longer on the battlefield.

15. ‘There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity’

Nothing is guaranteed in life, other than opportunities.