Erwin Rommel Quotes

Sweat saves blood, blood saves lives, but brains saves both.

A risk is a chance you take; if it fails you can recover. A gamble is a chance taken; if it fails, recovery is impossible.

Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders.

Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning.

Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself, and let the troops see that you don't in your endurance of fatigue and privation. Always be tactful and well-mannered and teach your subordinates to do the same. Avoid excessive sharpness or harshness of voice, which usually indicates the man who has shortcomings of his own to hide.

If I had to take hell, I would use the Australians to take it and the New Zealanders to hold it.

In the absence of orders, go find something and kill it.

One of the most important factors, not only in military matters but in life as a whole, is ... the ability to direct one's whole energies towards the fulfillment of a particular task.

I would rather be the hammer than the anvil

For me, soldiers are all equal. Those black people wore your same uniform, fought on your side, and so you will be in the same jail.

The German soldier has impressed the world, however the Italian Bersagliere soldier has impressed the German soldier.

Winning the men's confidence requires much of a commander. He must exercise care and caution, look after his men, live under the same hardships, and-above all- apply self discipline. But once he has their confidence, his men will follow him through hell and high water.

There is one unalterable difference between a soldier and a civilian: the civilian never does more than he is paid to do.

The battle is fought and decided by the quartermasters, long before the shooting begins.

Training errors are recorded on paper. Tactical errors are etched in stone.

When there's no clear option, it's better to do nothing.

Always in a moment of extreme danger things can be done which had previously been thought impossible.

In a man-to-man fight, the winner is he who has one more round in his magazine.

One cannot permit unique opportunities to slip by for the sake of trifles.

Mortal danger is an effective antidote for fixed ideas.

Manstein is a man of illusions. ... He believes Hitler will listen to facts.

The commander must establish personal and comradely contact with his men, but without giving away one inch of authority.

The commander must be at constant pains to keep his troops abreast of all the latest tactical experience and developments, and must insist on their practical application. He must see to it that his subordinates are trained in accordance with the latest requirements. The best form of welfare for the troops is first-class training, for this saves unnecessary casualties.

The best form of welfare for the troops is first-rate training.

Which would your men rather be, tired, or dead?