Customer Reviews

The Book of Military Quotations

5 star:		(6)
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Peter Tsouras is a well-known military historian, who also has the ability to write alternative history. The breadth of his knowledge is impressive -- he can write authoritatively on topics ranging from ancient to modern. As such, he appreciates the wisdom, and folly, of the great and not so great individuals who have spoken and written pithy lines over the centuries.

This book reflects his love of military history. It ranges widely, with more than 3,500 quotations from 800-plus individuals on more than 400 topics. It also has two helpful features -- a useful index, and Tsouras tells the reader the source of the quote. I can not stress enough how helpful the latter aid is. When I write military history, I need to know where someone wrote or spoke something. So many quote books do not include this information, Tsouras and his publisher are to be commended for providing such.

Tsouras also must be commended for the topics he selects. There are those topics one would expect -- Battle, Command, Courage, Fear, Mutiny, Strategy, Victory, etc. However, with over 400 topics, the reader finds some nice, clever surprises, e.g., The Bayonet, Camp Followers, Chaplains, Contractors, Destiny, Divine Favor, Looting, Military Music, Old Soldiers, Quagmire, Sang Froid, Sic Transit Gloria Mundi, War on Terrorism, Whitehall, and Wives. I also applaud Tsouras for breaking down topics into more useful subtopics, e.g., Battle is broken down into four groups, i.e., The Cost of Battle, The Dynamics of Battle, The Human Factor, and The Purpose of Battle. Another example is Discipline, which is broken into The Effects of Discipline, Instilling Discipline, The Lack of Discipline, and The Nature of Discipline. Army, The Enemy, History, Initiative, Training (seven subtopics), Victory (eight subtopics), and War (eleven subtopics!) are some of the other categories that have convenient divisions.

If you love military history, and/or great quotations, this book is a fun read. If you write or speak on military matters, or history in general, this book is a necessary resource to always have handy.

As a minister, [...] , I can never spend enough time looking for just the right illustration or anecdote to insert into a sermon. What makes this such a valuable book for me is the way it has the topics arranged in alphabetical order. It also has an index in the back of the book listing all the speakers who are quoted and the page number of each of their quotes. People think you are really well-read when you start pulling quotes from Napoleon, Homer or Philip of Macedon. It is important to note that the quotes are highly usable. There are none that I have found to be meaningless in any way.

This is a steal of a deal if you are looking for a good book of illustrations to use in teaching, speaking or preaching. It has quotes that cover several thousands of years. It is very handy and I could not recommend it any more enthusiastically! With the great price, I have sent several copies to my preacher friends.

Some of the quotes are humorous, others historical. Many address accountability and integrity. The characteristics of a leader and what conduct motivates and inspires others is also reflected through the selections. Basically, if you enjoy reading quotes, you'll like this book. I read quotes for the wisdom often found within. I found the layout to be easy to follow. I appreciate the attention to detail in terms of referencing the quote. It's a good book to have and pick up for a quick review anytime. - Josh Stewart; jjstewart@stewartandstewartlaw.com

I'll add my five stars to those of the other reviewers. This is a wonderful book for general reading as well as for finding an apt quote. It would also be useful for someone who is looking for something to inspire a thought for an article, blog post or presentation. It is much, much more than a book of aphorisms or hackneyed pithy sayings. It's a well-organized collection of philosopies, concepts, ideas, principles and conversations that are sure to provide you with plenty of material.

There comes a point where a mother can't guide her son through his adult life as a soldier. At that point, I bought The Book of Military Quotations and highlighted the ones that meant the most to me. The quotations are grouped according to topic, and many times there is a historical reference to help the reader. An excellent read for any and all.

i have to admit that when i first opened the book randomly i found this quotation : " with the weapon of Assur i pressed upon the enemy and stopped their advance" this line had its lethal effect on me

such powerful words....