Marine Corps Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old marine corps quotes, marine corps sayings, and marine corps proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

As a civilian, I know nothing about combat, the Marine Corps experience or modern man's struggle adjusting to peace after war. I only know what's been shared with me; confidences I would never betray, nor use as details in a novel. Tiffany Madison
My only answer as to why the Marines get the toughest jobs is because the average Leatherneck is a much better fighter. He has far more guts, courage, and better officers… These boys out here have a pride in the Marine Corps and will fight to the end no matter what the cost. Lt. Richard C. Kennard
In the Marine Corps, your buddy is not only your classmate or fellow officer, but he is also the Marine under your command. If you don't prepare yourself to properly train him, lead him, and support him on the battlefield, then you're going to let him down. That is unforgivable in the Marine Corps. Chesty Puller
The Marine Corps is the military arm of the Navy. Archibald Henderson
I did not want to fly airplanes. I thought that was inherently dangerous. So the two things I knew was I would not fly, and I would not be a Marine. Charles Bolden
The raising of that flag on Mount Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years. James Forrestal
For the Navy and the Marine Corps, imperialism brought not only a geographic extension of ships and men but a redefinition of function as a military arm of American expansion. Allan Reed Millett
There's a magical feeling about being a United States Marine. I can't describe it to you or to anyone. But other Marines, they understand. Major Rick Spooner
Because that's more important than being a general or a private or a lieutenant. They're Marines. That's what important. Major Rick Spooner
The Marine Corps is not a job, it's a vocation. Major Rick Spooner
Marines are special, better than any armed service, its member claimed, and it is the feelings, traditions, and spirit of the Marines that make them so. Aaron B. O'Connell
At its most basic level, Marine Corps culture functioned through a process of symbolic exchange. Being a Marine meant elitism, an intimate community, and access to a set of stories granted only to a few. Aaron B. O'Connell
There is something about the Marines—I don't know what it is—that draws them together and makes them one. I don't know what it is about the Corps, but there is something and I've gotten it too. Frances Newman
The Marine Corps will continue to meet the needs of a dynamic security environment. It will remain prepared to fight, on short notice, under any circumstances, and in any conflict. Headquarters US Marine Corps
The Corps will continue to be a force rich in history and tradition , but capable and ready to innovate and change, while always maintaining the highest values of honor, courage, and commitment. Headquarters US Marine Corps
The Marine Corps motto is 'Semper Fidelis' latin for 'always faithful.' Michael Benson
The requirements for joining the Marine Corps as a reservist are the same as those for joining as an active-duty marine. And training is every bit as tough. Michael Benson
To show that Marines can fight on land, on sea, and in the air, the official marine Corps emblem combines a globe, an eagle, and an anchor. Michael Benson
It's 'the Marine Corps never owes you anything —you always owe the Marine Corps.' Hans Halberstadt
The Marine Corps is an all-purpose military unit that specializes in mobilizing quickly and attacking aggressively. John Hamilton
If I charge, follow me. If I retreat, kill me. If I die, revenge me. USMC
In the simple moral maxim the Marine Corps teaches— do the right thing, for the right reason— no exception exists that says: unless there's criticism or risk. Damn the consequences. Josh Rushing
We were the marines the other Marines avoided. The pariahs, the bad-luck charms. The ones no one wanted to risk being near. As if we didn't just process death. As if we brought it. Barbara Nickless
Marines don't cry. Barbara Nickless
The Marine Corps is the Navy's police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's. Harry S. Truman
Without discipline, there is no Marine Corps. R. Lee Ermey
When you get out of the Marine Corps, you feel like you can do anything. Adam Driver
One day, you'll get out of the Marine Corps; you'll put your uniform up, but you'll never not be a Marine. John F. Kelley
The essence of the Marine Corps experience, I decided, was pain. Philip Caputo