I didn’t actually “read” General Patton’s War as I Knew It; I listened to an audiobook. It was an interesting experience listening to an audiobook. At first, I listened while I exercised. Then, I listened on that long car trip to Las Vegas. Towards the end, I had to just sit and listen because I had to return the book soon. It was weird just sitting and listening to an audiobook. I felt very unproductive. Another interesting thing about audiobooks is that I’m too lazy to rewind (and rewind again) to write down an exact quote. Alright, that’s not really an interesting thing about audiobooks, but an uninteresting thing about myself. So, what follows are not exact quotes. Therefore they will be in list form.

• All walls have fallen — the Maginot Line, the Great Wall, etcetera. Even oceans can’t keep out an ingenious enemy. The only reliable defense is a good offense.
• Generals create plans to match the circumstances, not the other way around.
• If General Patton has time to read the Koran before the North Africa campaign, you have time to read in your busy life. (I took this small, relatively unimportant note that Patton read that book, and I used it when I taught my students.)
• Don’t delay. A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week.
• War is a simple thing. It requires: self-confidence, speed, and audacity.
• Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
• On command: 5% of the job = orders/plans, 95% = making sure they’re carried out.
• Always remind yourself of these two things: 1) In war, nothing is impossible provided you use audacity. 2) Do not take counsel of your fears.
• Fatigue produces pessimism.
• There’s a big difference between haste and speed. Haste is like having one hour of preparation and then moving in. It will be bloody and you will move slowly. Speed involves more like 4 hours of preparation, for the equivalent action. You will move quickly and have less time under fire.
• Visits. Important.