9 Incredible Quotes By General Mattis We Should All Live By

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This Guy Knows What He’s Talking About.

We’re sure all of you know who General Mattis is. Mad-Dog. Chaos. A Marine’s marine, he has become somewhat of a household name.

People who haven’t heard of him are getting the wind now as he’s been our Secretary of Defense. A studious man, he devoted his entire life to the Corps and we can all learn something from his vast experience.

Here are 9 of his quotes and how we can apply them to our everyday life.

9.“You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad.”

Life isn’t easy, so don’t live with your head in the clouds. Find out and assess what’s wrong, and start working toward fixing it. Ignoring the problem will never solve it.

8.”Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”

Polite and professional is how we should always be. Don’t kill anybody unless you’re on a battlefield, though. What you can learn here is that you should always be vigilant and never let your guard down.

7.”The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some a–holes in the world that just need to be shot. There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.”

Stay sharp and be vigilant again. Don’t be afraid to take someone down if they deserve it. Work hard, go out there and get what you earned. Pretty simple.

6.”I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f— with me, I’ll kill you all.”

Probably the most badass quote ever. To apply it in your life, well, be nice, but be prepared not to be, right?

5.”I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.”

No explanation needed on this one. Just apply this to every single thing you do.

4.”The most important 6 inches on the battlefield is between your ears.”

Again, stay sharp, stay vigilant. Both professionally and personally, keeping an ear out for signs of trouble is key to success.

3.”For the mission’s sake, for our country’s sake, and the sake of the men who carried the Division’s colors in past battles — ‘who fought for life and never lost their nerve’ — carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is ‘No Better Friend — No Worse Enemy’ than a US Marine.”

Well, this is definitely about Marines. But keeping your honor probably the most important thing one can do for themselves. No matter what the situation is, keep true to yourself.

2.“Marines don’t know how to spell the word defeat.”

A simple one again. You don’t have to be a Marine to keep your head up. Persevere in whatever you do. It’s all just a part of getting to where you want to be.

1.“There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. It’s really great.”

Well, this one is downright funny, although it deals with a pretty serious aspect of being on the battlefield. Although we can’t relate to that directly on that level, it always feels good when someone takes a stab at us but it doesn’t turn out the way they wanted to. Take time to appreciate that feeling.