As a member of the Protestant British squirearchy ruling Ireland, he was touchy about his Irish origins. When in later life an enthusiastic Gael commended him as a famous Irishman, he replied "A man can be born in a stable, and yet not be an animal.

All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called 'guess what was at the other side of the hill'.

Being born in a stable does not make one a horse.

When other Generals make mistakes their armies are beaten; when I get into a hole, my men pull me out of it.

We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be detested in France.

There is nothing so dreadful as a great victory--except a great defeat.

The French system of conscription brings together a fair sample of all classes; ours is composed of the scum of the earth - the mere scum of the earth. It is only wonderful that we should be able to make so much out of them afterwards.