So as through a glass and darkly_x000D_ The age long strife I see_x000D_ Where I fought in many guises,_x000D_ Many names - but always me.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the struggles of identity and the enduring nature of the self through various experiences.
In this quote, George S. Patton contemplates the essence of one's identity through the struggles of life. Despite engaging in numerous battles and facing various challenges under different roles and names, the core self remains unchanged. It emphasizes the conflict between external circumstances and the enduring nature of personal identity, suggesting that regardless of how one is perceived or the roles they play, their true essence persists across different situations.
In practice
In a speech discussing personal growth and resilience.
A man must know his destiny… if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder… if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it.
There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time.
The fixed determination to have acquired the warrior soul, to either conquer or perish with honor, is the secret of victory.
I am the best damn ass-kicker in the whole U.S. Army!
Do not try to make circumstances fit your plans. Make plans that fit the circumstances.
An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body.
Shortly, the public will be unable to reason or think for themselves. They'll only be able to parrot the information they've been given on the previous night's news.
The great act of faith is when a man decides he is not God.
The following of authority is the denial of intelligence. [It] may help us temporarily to cover up our difficulties and problems; but to avoid a problem is only to intensify it, and in the process, self-knowledge and freedom are abandoned.
Serenity comes from the ability to say “Yes” to existence. Courage comes from the ability to say “No” to the wrong choices made by others.
History is hard to know, because of all the hired bullshit, but even without being sure of "history" it seems entirely reasonable to think that every now and then the energy of a whole generation comes to a head in a long fine flash, for reasons that nobody understands at the time--and which never explain, in retrospect, what actually happened.
All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility.
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