The Quotable Navy

I thought I'd list a collection of my favorite naval quotations:

• "I wish to have no Connection with any Ship that does not Sail fast for I intend to go in harm's way." -- Captain John Paul Jones

• "A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace." -- President Theodore Roosevelt

• "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!" -- Lieutenant Howell Forgy (Chaplain)

• "Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'" -- President John F. Kennedy

• "This ship is built to fight. You had better know how." -- Admiral Arleigh Burke

• "It is the function of the Navy to carry the war to the enemy, so that it will not be fought on U.S. soil." -- Admiral Chester B. Nimitz

• "There are only two absolute rules of thumb at sea: Don’t let the people in the water tank, and don’t let the water in the people tank." -- Unknown, but excellent advice

• "The difference between a good and great officer is about ten seconds." -- Admiral Arleigh Burke

• "Investigate and shoot down all snoopers — not vindictively, but in a friendly sort of way." -- Admiral William "Bull" Halsey

• "Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people." -- Admiral Hyman G. Rickover

• "Any healthy organization can survive individual divergencies, and may even profit from them. Compulsory unification of opinion can only achieve the unanimity of the graveyard." -- Admiral Hyman G. Rickover

Not US Navy but good quotes nonetheless:

• "A ship-of-war is the best ambassador." -- Oliver Cromwell

• "A prisoner of war is a man who tries to kill you and fails, and then asks you not to kill him." -- Sir Winston Churchill

• "Put your trust in God, but keep your powder dry." -- Oliver Cromwell

• "It's extremely difficult to second guess the American Navy, because the Americans rarely read their doctrine, and don’t feel compelled to follow it when they do." -- Admiral Sergei Gorshkov

• "The reason that the American Navy does so well in wartime, is that war is chaos, and the Americans practice chaos on a daily basis." -- Admiral Karl Doenitz

• "When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." -- Attributed to General Tommy Franks