There’s nothing more satisfying than watching a movie where the good guy says some really dope stuff right before he takes out the bad guy—but that doesn’t happen in real life, does it?
It DOES.
Throughout the history of warfare, those who have chosen warfighting as their profession have kept cool enough under fire to reply, retort, and rebuff their enemies with a weapon as lethal as firearms and blades: silver-tongued war quotes.
Here are the eight coolest war quotes ever uttered by warriors.
Daniel K. Inouye
“Nobody called off the war!”
Daniel K. Inouye had just pulled off some epic Medal of Honor-level fighting, which included being gutshot, taking a frag grenade blast, and being shot in the leg and arm. He still told his men to hold back while he went off and cleared the area.
He was successful in breaking the confidence of the enemy, but in order to keep his men on target as he moved to get back to the aid station, he had to say something. This was it.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
“I have seen their backs before, Madam.”
This incredibly awesome line wasn’t technically said in wartime. It was uttered by a wartime field marshal, however. That field marshal went by the name of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. While at an event in Vienna, he was asked how he felt about French generals turning their backs on him at a conference. This was his reply when asked about the event.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
“Men, I am not ordering you to attack. I am ordering you to die.”
The founding father of modern-day Turkey was, in fact, a wordsmith of the highest caliber. He rose to power and reformed the centuries-old Ottoman Empire after the end of World War I, no small feat. But he really rose to prominence defending Turkish lands during the Battle of Gallipoli. This was his order to the 57th Infantry Regiment defending Gallipoli.
General Nathan Bedford Forrest
“No damn man kills me and lives to tell about it!”
What makes this quote so epically cool is that Forrest was shot and wounded by a fellow officer, a subordinate of his. Even though Forrest would survive the wound, he said this before taking his turn to shoot back. Forrest survived. The officer did not.
Todd Beamer
“Let’s roll.”
The United Flight 93 passenger probably never predicted that such an offhand remark might one day become synonymous with that day and the American resolve to defeat terrorism. This is what he told his fellow passengers right before they all fought to recapture their airplane and try to avoid crashing into something important. Instead, they opted to down the plane in a rural field, ending their lives as well as the terrorists’.
General George S. Patton
“As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no one because I am the most evil man in the valley.”
Yeah, Patton had a lot of cool things to say in combat. But nothing tops this one-liner. Patton was a religious man. Growing up in California, he was a regular at his local church, which lends street cred to this sentence. What also helps is that Patton didn’t care if the enemy thought he was evil or not—he was coming, and he knew the enemy was afraid.
Genghis Khan
“If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.”
The Great Khan was ruthless in his efficiency, brave in his execution, and fearsome until the very end. Khan accumulated an empire that would be the largest on Earth until the British Empire reached its apogee. Until then, Khan controlled 17 percent of the Earth’s surface, killing so many people that it led to global cooling.
Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly
“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?!”
Of course, leave it to a United States Marine to top this list of dope sh*t said in the face of certain death. There are few Marines as storied as Sgt. Major Daniel Daly one of a very short list of people to earn the Medal of Honor. Twice. Daly gave this war quote at the World War I Battle of Belleau Wood, where Marines earned their nickname “Devil Dogs.”
