I would rather he had given me one more division

Sweat saves blood, blood saves lives, but brains saves both.

War makes extremely heavy demands on the soldier's strength and nerves. For this reason, make heavy demands on your men in peacetime exercises.

To every man of us, Tobruk was a symbol of British resistance and we were now going to finish with it for good.

Men are basically smart or dumb and lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders.

Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning.

The commander must establish personal and comradely contact with his men, but without giving away one inch of authority.