Smedley butler quotes i spent 33 years how to#

Don't be afraid to be the first to resort to violence.Ģ8. 'Fire and Forget' is fine, provided you never actually forget.Ģ7. If the damage you do is covered by a manufacturer's warranty, you didn't do enough damage.Ģ6. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a big gun.Ģ5. The company mess and friendly fire should be easier to tell apart.Ģ4. If you can see the whites of their eyes, somebody's done something wrong.Ģ3.

Smedley butler quotes i spent 33 years how to#

Take his fish away and tell him he's lucky just to be alive, and he'll figure out how to catch another one for you to take tomorrow.Ģ2. If you're not willing to shell your own position, you're not willing to win. The world is richer when you turn enemies into friends, but that's not the same as you being richer.Ģ0. If the officers are leading from in front, watch out for an attack from the rear.ġ9. The longer everything goes according to plan, the bigger the impending disaster.ġ8. Your name is in the mouth of others: be sure it has teeth.ġ7. 'Mad Science' means never stopping to ask 'what's the worst thing that could happen?'ġ6. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head.ġ4. Everything is air-droppable at least once. Usually, it's on the far side of the airlock.ġ0. If the food is good enough the grunts will stop complaining about the incoming fire.Ĩ. If violence wasn’t your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it.ħ. Close air support and friendly fire should be easier to tell apart.Ħ. Close air support covereth a multitude of sins.ĥ. An ordnance technician at a dead run outranks everybody.Ĥ. A Sergeant in motion outranks a Lieutenant who doesn't know what's going on.ģ. The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective MercenariesĢ. Ripped shamelessly from one of my favourite web comics, Schlock Mercenary, a slightly ironic cartoon: Recipient of both the Army and the Navy Distinguished Service Medals. Two time recipient of the Medal of Honor. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. 'Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints.

In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912.

I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. “I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers.