“Jim Mattis I first met when I went to the Pentagon. He was a young colonel. And as Senator Nunn has pointed out, he had a reputation even then. This is somebody to watch. He is young. He is smart. He does not really belong behind a desk, although he may belong there right now, but at that time, he wanted to get out into the field.
“He is a warrior by nature… But that is really not why we are here. If he were only a great warrior, you would say, well, there are a lot of other warriors as well. He comes because he is a man of thought, as well as action. And sometimes it is said you can judge people by the friends he makes, the company he keeps, but also by the books he reads. General Mattis has some 6,000 books in his library, most of which, if not all of them, he has read, and he can refer to either Alexander the Great, General Grant, Sun Tzu. And I suspect he is probably the only one here at this table who can hear the words ‘Thucydides Trap’ and not have to go to Wikipedia to find out what it means. And so he is a scholar as well and a strategic thinker as well as a great warrior.”
— William Cohen, former senator and Secretary of Defense, to the U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for Gen. Mattis, Jan. 12, 2017.
Jim Mattis is famous for many quotes that reflect his no-nonsense warrior ethos, but what makes him such an effective leader is his wisdom. Before going into battle in the Middle East, he learned from the greats who had already fought there. From Xenophon to Arrian to T.E. Lawrence, he studied the people, the culture, the terrain, and the tactics.
Of the many department heads who have left the Trump administration, Mattis’s departure will have the greatest impact. His intelligence, grit, and breadth of understanding are irreplaceable. There isn’t another warrior monk who can fill his shoes, but if the President can find a candidate with half of Mattis’s qualities, America should be all right.
Published in GeneralThanks for reading Quote of the Day - Ricochet.com. Please share...!
0 Comment for "Quote of the Day - Ricochet.com"