R. Lee Ermey Quotes

A day without blood is like a day without sunshine!

You'd be surprised how many kids and young people come to the website and send me email that they are actually going into the Marine Corps because of something that I said or did.

That's all I cared about too, was getting it right.

Try as you may, you can never defy love.

Even though I disagree with many of the changes, when I see the privates graduate at the end of the day, when they walk off that drill field at the end of the ceremony, they are still fine privates; outstanding, well motivated privates.

Back in those days intimidation was the greatest tool the drill instructor had. Without that tool, he would not have had control.

I play well with everybody.

Playing the good guy is tough because you know as well as I do, in real life, you have to watch your P's and Q's and conduct yourself in a respectable manner if you expect to have friends.

I don't have to be concerned about everybody else's character.

This is for fighting, this is for fun.

I was stationed at a Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego from 1965 to 1967.

I don't have any respect at all for the scum-bags who went to Canada to avoid the draft or to avoid doing their fair share.

In order to be a good actor, I'm a firm believer that you need to bring something to the table.

Everybody respects the Vietnam Veterans of America.

Kubrick's films have life - they just never die.

I go the VA Hospital when I have a problem and the doctor jumps on me.

I'm never, like I say, I'm never happy, I'm never satisfied, it's never good enough.

Without discipline, there is no Marine Corp.

Drill instructors worked seven days a week, fifteen to seventeen hours a day in many cases, with no time off in between platoons.

There was a huge, tremendous amount of disabled veterans and the Veteran's Administration just wasn't geared up for it. I know for a fact that it's getting better and better.

We had times in '66 and '67 when we would pick up a platoon of privates out of the receiving barracks the week before we even graduated the platoon that we were on!

America's trying to do the best for its veterans.

Every character I've ever played, I always try to take him right to the edge and not allow him to fall over, but directors have a tendency to pull me back a little bit.

The best part about the movie, and everybody seems to rave about it, is the boot camp part.

I've never had to spend any time in the VA hospital, so I really can't speak for those guys.

The bad news motivated the drill instructors that much more.

Communications are better now than in my Vietnam days.

I got space from Travis Air Force Base, went back to the Philippine Islands and made it a point to meet the only American casting director in the Philippines. I was off and running.

Back in the old Corp, we weren't training those privates to infiltrate into the peacetime Marine Corp. We were training those privates to go to Vietnam.

Kubrick ate it up. He loved it. He just let me go crazy.

I hate to hear 'Less is more.' It's a crock of crap.

It's my firm conviction that when Uncle Sam calls, by God we go, and we do the best that we can.

There's a lot of whiners in every crowd.

There have been a lot of changes in recruit training in the past twenty years.

I firmly believe that you live and learn, and if you don't learn from past mistakes, then you need to be drug out and shot.

Because I am hard, you will not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair.

I honestly do feel that I am a role model for young people.

I try to get over to Iraq and Afghanistan as much as I can.

Finally, mutually, and completely, they released all doubts, abandoned all fears, unwilling and unable to deny this overpowering love.

I spend a lot of time with my characters.

When you try to find funding for a VVA function, it doesn't seem like it's any trouble at all. People come out of the woodwork with their money to help out because we went over and fought a war.

I always love to come to Austin.

For me, it's an honor for the military to ask me to go to Iraq, Afghanistan, or GITMO. I'm happy to go.

What is your major malfunction?

I disagree with a lot of those changes, however at the end of the day - I go down to recruit graduation at least once or twice a year.