You have won battles without cannon, crossed rivers without bridges, made forced marches without shoes, camped without brandy and often without bread. Soldiers of liberty, only republican phalanxes [infantry troops] could have endured what you have endured.

Battles are the principal milestones in secular history. Modern opinion resents this uninspiring truth, and historians often treat the decisions of the field as incidents in the dramas of politics and diplomacy.

Wars are not won by evacuations.

Our strength is our quickness and our brutality. Genghis Khan led millions of women and children to slaughter... History sees in him solely the founder of a state... What weak Western European civilization thinks about me is of no consequence.

We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars that we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into. My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be. A peacemaker and a unifier.

The secret of great battles consists in knowing how to deploy and concentrate at the right time.