Going forward, we obviously look at the actions of China, but I am going there to do a lot of listening and identification of common ground and uncommon ground on the strategic level at this time, i did not want to immediately go in with a certain preset expectation of what they are going to say.

Jim Mattis

Categorized in : Top News

So long as our Corps fields such Marines, America has nothing to fear from tyrants, be they Fascists, Communists or Tyrants with Medieval Ideology. For we serve in a Corps with no institutional confusion about our purpose: To fight! To fight well!

nothing fight fear long

I would just say there is one misperception of our veterans, and that is they are somehow damaged goods. I don't buy it.

veterans buy say just

You stay teachable most by reading books. By reading what other p... by Jim Mattis

You stay teachable most by reading books. By reading what other people went through.

stay you reading people

The Army was always big on Clausewitz, the Prussian; the Navy on Alfred Thayer Mahan, the American; and the Air Force on Giulio Douhet, the Italian. But the Marine Corps has always been more Eastern-oriented. I am much more comfortable with Sun-tzu and his approach to warfare.

i-am always navy army

There are a lot of self-imposed restrictions by people who somehow believe they have to fall in with a certain military cant. There was always a sense that we had to put things into words that would touch our troops' hearts, not just their heads.

words believe people fall

I've had some 'riotous excursions of the human spirit' alongside the young Sailors and Marines, and it's time to leave the stage to the young leaders who got their rank the old-fashioned way - they earned their stripes in combat.

leave spirit time way

Iran is not a nation-state; it's a revolutionary cause devoted to... by Jim Mattis

Iran is not a nation-state; it's a revolutionary cause devoted to mayhem.

cause devoted iran revolutionary

I don't think the U.S. military is conservative. It's pragmatic. by Jim Mattis

I don't think the U.S. military is conservative. It's pragmatic.

think pragmatic conservative military

There is no God-given right to victory on the battlefield. You win that through the skill and the devotion, the valor and the ferocity of your troops.

skill win you victory

Marines don't know how to spell the word 'defeat'. by Jim Mattis

Marines don't know how to spell the word 'defeat'.

marines how know defeat

I've lived a very colorful life, and I've said some things, But not once have I taken them back, and I've never apologized for them - and I won't.

never back colorful life

Wherever the enemy wants to fight, we will follow him to the ends of the Earth. We'll adapt, we'll train, we'll advise, we'll mentor, and we'll fight, and we'll fight well.

will fight mentor enemy

I can't tell you the number of times I looked down at what was going on on the ground, or I was engaged in a fight somewhere, and I knew within a couple of minutes how I was going to screw up the enemy. And I knew it because I'd done so much reading.

down fight you reading

Ultimately, a real understanding of history means that we face no... by Jim Mattis

Ultimately, a real understanding of history means that we face nothing new under the sun.

face new sun history

Since coming back from overseas, this is more of a foreign country than the places overseas. I don't understand it. It's like America has lost faith in rational thought.

thought understand faith country

There's no way that that our military power will not erode if a robust American economic revival is not part of the cards.

will power cards way

No matter how bad any situation, cynicism has no positive impact. Watching the news, you might notice that cynicism and victimhood often seem to go hand-in-hand, but not for veterans.

you situation news positive

Don't create more enemies than you take out by some immoral act. by Jim Mattis

Don't create more enemies than you take out by some immoral act.

enemies some create you

Policy makers who have never served in the military continue to use the military to lead social change in this country.

never change military country

There are going to be good days and bad days. Bottom line. by Jim Mattis

There are going to be good days and bad days. Bottom line.

bad-days days bad good