Boundless Nuggets of Questionable Martial Wisdom

[Lord Raziere]

Well, this is basically the plot outline of any 'gather all the MacGuffins' story, so.. it's not entirely bad advice, if you happen to live in a universe where magical whatsits and lucky charms actually do something

I am not in the habit of explaining the joke, or the reference. your interpretation is valid to, I guess.

"Remember: the best warriors are humble farm boys who don't want to fight and are destined to receive legendary swords. never recruit the cynical or people from the city."

"Never trust a mage, they will eventually learn too much about magic and decide you are useless to them, and then where you will be?"

"shields are for cowards, real warriors dual-wield, after all if you can't kill two men at the same time, your not killing fast enough, you only have one life after all"

"see the reason why you only use a dagger is so that when you charge into battle waving it around, people will fall over laughing at the thought of ever being killed by it then you slit their throats while they can't act."

"the warriors greatest weakness is a warm bed and the paramour lying within it. therefore never sleep, lust or love."

"life is a game, and the score is counted by how many people you kill before someone kills you. the one who kills the most people wins!"

[jjordan]

I know this is a thread about mostly silly and stupid sayings but this one is so SO wrong. As someone with a pretty high pain treshold, no, NO!

Pain is pain, and fatigue/exhaustion is exhaustion. Maybe it is clearer to me than to others who confuse strain and stress with actual pain. If you hurt, you stop IMMEDIATELY.

This is one of those pithy quotes that trades brevity for clarity. It's generally considered to be a summary of the idea of suffering. An excellent example is holding your breath. The average person can hold their breath for 30 seconds before they start to gasp. However, the average person has enough air in their lungs to last for about 2 minutes before they need to breathe. That 90 second difference, when you are uncomfortable/suffering, and have to use your will-power to continue holding your breath is what the saying is actually referring to. And that's also why that saying gets so much traction in the military, because at the higher levels they're looking for people who can suffer. And at the higher levels people can *really* suffer. The world record for a human holding their breath is over 22 minutes.

Returning to the subject:

"All fighting is fighting."

"All fighting is position."

"At it's heart war is simple. But in war even the very simple things are very hard to do."

[noob]

"Learn fundamental truths about fighting and you are a great master or learn logic and tautologies and you are the greatest of all masters for you can find an infinity of truthes"

[JAL_1138]

Fear not the great swordsman. Fear the mediocre swordsman who could buy your homeland twice over—in cash—and commands several thousand pikemen, cavalry, and archers.

[Imbalance]

"But the bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it."

[JAL_1138]

“Do you know what a hero is? Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, he's somebody who's tired enough and cold enough and hungry enough not to give a damn. I don't give a damn.” —Capt. B. F. “Hawkeye” Pierce, M*A*S*H

[Kane0]

"If you are going to set off an explosion, look away from it. This ensures two things; your own safety and the assured destruction of anything caught in the blast"

"Reach is key to victory in combat. The man with the spear defeats the man with the sword, and the man with the bow defeats the man with the spear"

"Even the fiercest warriors are subject to morale. Strike at the morale to cripple as assuredly as the body"

"Quantity is at least as important as quality, until logistics become involved"

"Follow the rule of threes. Offense, defense and mobility. Forward, backward and around. Shelter, food and medicine. Threats, deceit and negotiation. Honor, faith and fear."

[Jay R]

"Teamwork is essential; it gives the enemy other people to shoot at."

"Now listen to me closely I'll endeavor to explain
What separates a charlatan from a Charlemagne
A rule confessed by generals illustrious and various
Though pompous as a Pompey or as daring as a Darius
A simple rule that every great man knows by heart
It's smarter to be lucky than it's lucky to be smart."
-- "Pippin"

[Agent-KI7KO]

I’m disappointed that there are people posting serious quotes in a thread about questionable wisdom.

[lightningcat]

I am very surprised that there are no quotes from Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries. Time to fix that.

Maxim 1: Pillage, then burn.
Maxim 5: If violence wan't your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it.
Maxim 17: The longer everything goes according to plan, the bigger the impending disaster.
Maxim 27: Don't be afaid to be the first to resort to violence.
Maxim 41: "Do you have a backup?" means "I can't fix this."
Maxim 43: If it is stupid and it works, it's still stupid and you're lucky.
Maxim 48: If it ain't broke, it hasn't been issued to the infantry.
Maxim 59: Two wrongs is probably not going to be enough.
Maxim 52: Anything labeled "This end towards enemy." is dangerous at both ends.
Maxim 69: Sometimes rank is a function of firepower.
Maxim 70: Failure isn't an option. It's manditory. The option is whether on not to let failure be the last thing you do.

[Max_Killjoy]

I am very surprised that there are no quotes from Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries. Time to fix that.

Maxim 1: Pillage, then burn.
Maxim 5: If violence wan't your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it.
Maxim 17: The longer everything goes according to plan, the bigger the impending disaster.
Maxim 27: Don't be afaid to be the first to resort to violence.
Maxim 41: "Do you have a backup?" means "I can't fix this."
Maxim 43: If it is stupid and it works, it's still stupid and you're lucky.
Maxim 48: If it ain't broke, it hasn't been issued to the infantry.
Maxim 59: Two wrongs is probably not going to be enough.
Maxim 52: Anything labeled "This end towards enemy." is dangerous at both ends.
Maxim 69: Sometimes rank is a function of firepower.
Maxim 70: Failure isn't an option. It's manditory. The option is whether on not to let failure be the last thing you do.

I think a few popped up without being labelled as Maxims.

Your post, on the other hand, was a Maxim machine-gun.

[Arbane]

"If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight!"

[Guizonde]

when in doubt, groin attacks are both effective and hilarious. especially with a brick.

some people just need a high five. in the face. with a chair. twice.

remember: when someone tells you to "use your head", a headbutt is not always the solution.

[Tvtyrant]

Any freeman who can shoot 6 arrows a minute is probably too dangerous to have behind you.

People rise to the level where they cease to be competent, then stop. This is all you need to know about why nothing runs smoothly.

[olskool]

[QUOTE=Brother Oni;23892858]"And once you have mastered these techniques, then you may attempt to study the barely restrained aggression of Bounding Overwatch, the dual lessons of the brutally cunning Mozambique Drill and the cunningly brutal Tueller Drill and finally the patient but lethal Slicing the Pie.

However each of these are mere child's steps to the final goal of killing the enemy by words only, it is an arcane rite of variable length and different words every time, but always ends with the dreaded words of 'FIRE. FOR. EFFECT.' "

"But always ends with the dreaded words fire for effect!" NOT QUITE it could end with "Battery Adjust" or even "Repeat." but It usually ends with a call of "Time on Target,"a count down of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, followed by the exclamation "SPASH!" Which is in turn followed by an Earth-shattering explosion because that's just what we do in the FIELD ARTILLERY [aka THE KING OF BATTLE]. Remember... 1-800 REDLEG ... When it positively, absolutely, has to be DESTROYED!

As a "Redleg," I can attest to the fact that there really is NO personal problem that the proper application of high explosive cannot solve.
I know this because I too delivered "FREEDOM" 155mm at a time! And YES [mr. Harri Cristina in the DFW airport] I believe in "Peace on Earth." In fact, I believe in pieces all over the Earth... preferably little tiny ones! Whooshahhh!

[olskool]

Beware the "old man" in any profession that kills "young men" on a daily basis!

If you did it and lived, you PROBABLY did it right...

Professional soldiers are "professional" and therefore predictable. It's that "rank amateur" who thinks outside the box you have to watch out for!

Your job is NOT to die for your Country! It's to make the other poor bastard die for his!

A bullet has your name on it and is a "special delivery" sent to you by someone you often could have detected or evaded. High Explosives come postmarked "To Whom It May Concern," and there's NOT a damned thing you can do about it once it arrives.

[Guizonde]

A bullet has your name on it and is a "special delivery" sent to you by someone you often could have detected or evaded. High Explosives come postmarked "To Whom It May Concern," and there's NOT a damned thing you can do about it once it arrives.

"dear grid coordinates..."