Most Amazing Quotes From Soldiers

Image by Dmitry Karpychev

War is hell. As something so unrelentingly horrifying, it also brings out the most human parts of some people.

The most badass, the funniest, the most incredible and the weirdest; It all comes out during a war, and these are some of the best quotes from the soldiers who fought in them.

Jack Womer Meets Winston Churchill

I thought to myself, ‘Should I shoot this son of a gun? I don’t care if he is Prime Minister, I don’t want him d-d’ing on me!’

The best thing about this quote is actually what comes next.

He was so close to me I could see he needed to be circumcised…but he didn’t know what was in that haystack!

An ordinary soldier having that much dirt on a prime minister without the guy even being aware of his presence? Yep, that’s a camouflage win.

Maybe all men should have disguised themselves as haystacks during World War II.

Simo Häyhä

I only did my duty, and what I was told to do, as well as I could.

The modesty of this statement is astounding.

Simo Häyhä, as a sniper, is credited with over five hundred confirmed kills in 100 days. The Red Army tried everything from counter-sniping to artillery to dislodge him.

He was eventually injured by a lucky explosive bullet to the face, but the damage had been done. He recovered (naturally. What, you think missing half his face could stop him?) and the war was over by the time he was up and about again.

“Mad” Jack Churchill

If it wasn’t for those damn Yanks, we could have kept the war going another 10 years.

“Mad” Jack Churchill went into battle in the 20th century A.D. armed with a longbow and broadsword. Between that and this quote, that’s all you need to know about “Mad” Jack Churchill.

 Gen. (Ret.) Colin Powell

I walked over to the jeep, where a grimy, weary-looking sergeant saluted me and put out his hand. It was Elvis Presley.

The levelling power of war is astonishing. Rather than opt for a cushy life behind the lines, or a glamorous job to boost his profile, Elvis Presley worked his way to being an NCO, and by all accounts worked very hard.

 Giuseppe Garibaldi

Obbedisco!

This one word, meaning “I obey!”, has come to signify everything important about being a soldier. It is about duty, honour, service and sacrifice, and to be summed up in one word is quite impressive.

Everything from scrubbing latrines to armed forces kit insurance to the terrifying nature of war is encapsulated right here. Whatever happens, the soldier obeys.

 Know Any Other Amazing Soldier Quotes?

The record of soldiers performing incredible deeds and saying incredible things by no means ends at the Second World War, nor does it begin with Garibaldi. Just think of Caesar or Alexander, and all kinds of amazing, timeless quotes spring to mind.

If you can think of any other amazing quotes from real soldiers, please share them in the comments!

James Duval is interested in tech, gaming, business and finance. He writes posts for JBI, who arrange niche insurance packages.