Marines, Devil Dogs, Grunts, Jarheads. The USMC is called by many names, but what it’s truly known for is its unwavering courage, loyalty, brotherhood, and ability to stand its ground. The Marines are usually the first forces to land and are the tip of the US Military spear. They go through rigorous training to become the ultimate fighting machines unrivaled throughout the world.
The Marines are by far the most famous among all the US Military branches. They are romanticized, envied, and loved all over the country. Most people love the dark humor of the corps too.
Like all military branches, the USMC also has its fair share of quotes and slogans. You can get motivated, inspired, and awed by these words of wisdom; or have a good laugh at them (remember dark humor).
Anyways, Enjoy below the ultimate collection of the best Marine Corps sayings:
Best Marine Corps Sayings
USMC slogans
- Semper Fidelis (Always faithful) ~ Marine Corps motto
- The Few. The Proud. ~ Marine Corps slogan
- Ooh Rah ~ Marine Corps slogan
- First to Fight ~ Marine Corps slogan
Marine Pride
- Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They’re aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They’ve got really short hair, and they always go for the throat. ~ RAdm. “Jay” R. Stark
- The United States Marine Corps, with its fiercely proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth. ~ Thomas E. Ricks
- We are United States Marines, and for two and a quarter centuries, we have defined the standards of courage, esprit, and military prowess. ~ James L. Jones
- There’s a mindset of flexibility and adaptability that comes with us. We don’t mind hardship. We don’t mind somebody saying, ‘Go in and do this nasty job.’ Whatever the job is, we can do it. That’s why the nation has a Marine Corps. ~ James F. Amos
- The bended knee is not a tradition of our Corps. ~ General Alexander A. Vandergrift
- You cannot exaggerate about the Marines. They are convinced to the point of arrogance that they are the most ferocious fighters on earth- and the amusing thing about it is that they are. ~ Father Kevin Keaney, chaplain
- A Marine is a Marine. I set that policy two weeks ago – there’s no such thing as a former Marine. ~ General James F. Amos
- Marine Corps Credo: To catch us, you have to be fast. To find us, you have to be smart. To beat us, you have to be kidding. ~ Anonymous
- Unless You’re Dead, You’re Not A Former Marine ~ Anonymous
- Once a Marine, always a Marine. ~ Anonymous
- Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And, America looks to its Corps of Marines. ~ Reagan
- I love the Corps for those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past. ~ Cpl. Jeff Sornig
- The American Marines have it [pride] and benefit from it. They are tough, cocky, sure of themselves and their buddies. They can fight, and they know it. ~ General Mark Clark
Bravery & Valor
- There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion. ~ Gen. William Thornson
- Marines die; that’s what we’re here for. But the Marine Corps lives forever. And that means YOU will live forever. ~ GySgt. Hartman
- The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps! ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
- Hardness,’ I was learning, was the supreme virtue among recon Marines. The greatest compliment one could pay to another was to say he was hard. Hardness wasn’t toughness, nor was it courage, although both were part of it. Hardness was the ability to face an overwhelming situation with aplomb, smile calmly at it, and then triumph through sheer professional pride. ~ Nathaniel Fick, author
- Uncommon valor was a common virtue. ~ Admiral Nimitz
- The Marine Corps has no ambition beyond the performance of its duty to its country. ~ Gen Cates.
- If I charge, follow me. If I retreat, kill me. If I die, revenge me. ~ USMC
- In my experience, Marines are gung ho no matter what. They will all fight to the death. Every one of them just wants to get out there and kill. They are bad-ass, hard-charging mothers. ~ Chris Kyle, Navy Seal
- You’ll never get a Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me! ~ Capt. Henry P. Crowe
- ESPRIT DE CORPS simply means that no Marine ever lets another Marine down. ~ Anonymous
- Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share. ~ Ned Dolan
War
- The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle ~ Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing.
- A Marine likes a good fight and respects a good fighter. You’ve got yourself one fine Marine for an escort and the whole Marine Corps behind you. ~ Bud Rudesill
- We have a saying in the Marine Corps, and that is ‘no better friend, no worse enemy, than a U.S. Marine.’ We always hope for the first friendship but are certainly more than ready for the second. ~ John F. Kelly retired Marine general
- We’re not accustomed to occupying defensive positions. It’s destructive to morale. ~ LGen Smith, Iwo Jima
- 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
- The safest place in Korea was right behind a platoon of Marines. Lord, how they could fight! ~ MGen. Frank E. Lowe
- Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever? ~ GySgt. Daniel J. “Dan”
- 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 pride in the Marine Corps and will fight to the end no matter what the cost. ~ 2nd Lt. Richard C. Kennard
Gen Chesty Puller Quotes
- Don’t forget that you’re First Marines! Not all the Communists in hell can overrun you! ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- You don’t hurt ’em if you don’t hit ’em. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Hit hard, hit fast, hit often. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- All right. they’re on our left; they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us..they can’t get away this time. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Son, when the Marine Corps wants you to have a wife, you will be issued one. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Paperwork will ruin any military force. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- 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. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- I’ve always believed that no officer’s life, regardless of rank, is of such great value to his country that he should seek safety in the rear … Officers should be forward with their men at the point of impact. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Old breed? New breed? There’s not a damn bit of difference so long as it’s the Marine breed ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- What the American people want to do is fight a war without getting hurt. You can’t do that anymore than you can get into a barroom fight without getting hurt… Unless the American people are willing to send their sons out to fight an aggressor, there just isn’t going to be any United States. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Retreat! Hell, we’re just attacking in a different direction. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Retreat! Hell, we’re just attacking in a different direction. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Pain is weakness leaving the body. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- There are not enough chinamen in the world to stop a fully armed Marine regiment from going where ever they want to go. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- The mail service has been excellent out here, and in my opinion, this is all that the Air Force has accomplished during the war ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Our Country won’t go on forever if we stay soft as we are now. There won’t be any AMERICA because some foreign soldiery will invade us and take our women and breed a hardier race! ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- Take me to the Brig. I want to see the ‘real Marines. ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
- I want to go where the guns are! ~ Lt Gen Chesty Puller
Gen James Mattis Quotes
- Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet. ~ General James Mattis
- There are some people who think you have to hate them in order to shoot them. I don’t think you do. It’s just business. ~ General James Mattis
- I come in peace; I didn’t bring artillery. But I am pleading with you with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all. ~ General James Mattis
- Marines don’t know how to spell the word ‘defeat.’ ~ General James Mattis
- To Marines, love of liberty is not an empty phrase… Rather, it’s displayed by blood, sweat, and tears for the fallen. ~ General James Mattis
- So long as our Corps fields such Marines, America has nothing to fear from tyrants, be they Fascists, Communists, or Tyrants with Medieval Ideology. For we serve in a Corps with no institutional confusion about our purpose: To fight! To fight well! ~ General James Mattis
- PowerPoint makes us stupid. ~ General James Mattis
- Engage your brain before you engage your weapon. ~ General James Mattis
- I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word. ~ General James Mattis
- You can overcome the wrong technology. Your people have the initiative; they see the problem, no big deal … you can’t overcome bad culture. You’ve gotta change whoever is in charge. ~ General James Mattis
- The most important six inches on the battlefield are between your ears. ~ General James Mattis
- Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they’re so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact. ~ General James Mattis
- No war is over until the enemy says it’s over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote. ~ General James Mattis
- Be the hunter, not the hunted: Never allow your unit to be caught with its guard down, ~ General James Mattis
- Ultimately, a real understanding of history means that we face NOTHING new under the sun. ~ General James Mattis
- You’ve been told that you’re broken. That you’re damaged goods … there is also Post-Traumatic Growth. You come back from the war stronger and more sure of who you are. ~ General James Mattis
Personal growth
- Being ready is not what matters. What matters is winning after you get there. ~ Lt.Gen Victor H. Krulak
- We think of the Marine Corps as a military outfit, and of course, it is, but for me, the U.S. Marine Corps was a four-year crash course in character education. It taught me how to make a bed, how to do laundry, how to wake up early, how to manage my finances. ~ J. D. Vance, author of “Hillbilly Elegy”
- The Marine Corps builds Men – Body – Mind – Spirit. ~ Anonymous
- Marines are built through the ethos of struggle and sacrifice. ~ Gen James Jones
- Courage is endurance for one moment more… ~ Marine 2LT
- Some people wonder all their lives if they’ve made a difference. The Marines don’t have that problem. ~ Ronald Reagan
Funny
- Your soul may belong to Jesus, but your ass belongs to the marines. ~ Eugene B. Sledge
- On the seventh day, God rested — Marines filled sandbags. ~ Anonymous
- Get off your butt and join the Marines! ~ John Wayne
- Marines know how to use their bayonets. Army bayonets may as well be paper-weights. ~ Navy Times
Family
- We’re a family, the Marine Corps. We take care of each other, and that includes supporting the spouses and families of Marines who are left behind during a deployment. We all take care of one another. ~ Brad Milton
- The Marine Corps is your family too. You may not have a mother here, but you have a shit pile of fathers, uncles, and brothers. ~ Bud Rudesill, Hurricane Ginger
Women
- Marine Girlfriend – Do not confuse your rank with my authority! ~ Anonymous
- Marine Wife — Toughest job in the Corps! ~ Anonymous
- Women Marines — Fewer and Prouder. ~ Anonymous
- They (Women Marines) don’t have a nickname, and they don’t need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines. ~ LtGen Thomas Holcomb
Wrapping It Up
I hope you enjoyed this collection of the best Marin corps sayings out there. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. If you have any other great quotes that I have missed, be sure to let us know.
