Robert E. Lee > Quotes

“Never do a wrong thing to make a friend--or to keep one.”
― Robert E. Lee

“I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself.”
― Robert E. Lee

“It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.”
― Robert E. Lee

“The education of a man is never completed until he dies.”
― Robert E. Lee

“I can only say that I am nothing but a poor sinner, trusting in Christ alone for salvation.”
― Robert E. Lee

“In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”
― Robert E. Lee

“I like whiskey. I always did, and that is why I never drink it.”
― Robert E. Lee

“It is easier to make our wishes conform to our means than to make our means conform to our wishes.”
― Robert E. Lee

“What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world.”
― Robert E. Lee

“It's the loneliest feeling in the world-to find yourself standing up when everybody else is sitting down. To have everybody look at you and say, 'What's the matter with him?' I know. I know what it feels like. Walking down an empty street, listening to the sound of your own footsteps. Shutters closed, blinds drawn, doors locked against you. And you aren't sure whether you're walking toward something, or if you're just walking away.”
― Robert E. Lee, Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Courtroom Drama in which Two Men Wage the Legal War of the Century

“Read history, works of truth, not novels and romances”
― Robert E. Lee

“My experiences of men has neither disposed me to think worse of them nor be indisposed to serve them: nor, in spite of failures which I lament, of errors which I now see and acknowledge, or the present aspect of affairs, do I despair of the future. The truth is this: The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope. ”
― Robert E. Lee

“ The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman.

The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly--the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the men in a plain light.

The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past. A true man of honor feels humbled when he cannot help humbling others.”
― Robert E. Lee

“A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others.”
― Robert E. Lee

“Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character.”
― Robert E. Lee

“There is a true glory and a true honor: the glory of duty done--the honor of the integrity of principle.”
― Robert E. Lee

“My trust is in the mercy and wisdom of a kind Providence, who ordereth all things for our good.”
― Robert E. Lee

“All motion is relative. Perhaps it is you who have moved away-by standing still”
― Robert E. Lee, Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Courtroom Drama in which Two Men Wage the Legal War of the Century

“True patriotism sometimes requires of men to act exactly contrary, at one period, to that which it does at another, and the motive which impels them the desire to do right is precisely the same.”
― Robert E Lee

“The consolidation of the states into one vast empire, sure to be aggressive abroad and despotic at home, will be the certain precursor of ruin which has overwhelmed all that preceded it.”
― Robert E. Lee

“Go home all you boys who fought with me and help build up the shattered fortunes of our old state”
― Robert E. Lee, Wit and Wisdom of Robert E. Lee, The

“We all thought Richmond, protected as it was by our splendid fortifications and defended by our army of veterans, could not be taken. Yet Grant turned his face to our Capital, and never turned it away until we had surrendered. Now, I have carefully searched the military records of both ancient and modern history, and have never found Grant's superior as a general. I doubt that his superior can be found in all history.”
― Robert E. Lee

“Shake off those gloomy feelings. Drive them away. Fix your mind and pleasures upon what is before you.All is bright if you will think it so. All is happy if you will make it so. Do not dream. It is too ideal, too imaginary. Dreaming by day, I mean. Live in the world you inhabit. Look upon things as they are. Take them as you find them. Make the best of them. Turn them to your advantage.”
― Robert E. Lee

“We poor sinners need to come back from our wanderings to seek pardon through the all-sufficient merits of our Redeemer. And we need to pray earnestly for the power of the Holy Spirit to give us a precious revival in our hearts and among the unconverted.”
― Robert E. Lee, Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee

“I can not trust a man to control others who cannot control himself.”
― Robert E. Lee

“Cadets can neither be treated as schoolboys or soldiers.”
― Robert E. Lee

“It is well that war is so terrible, or we would grow too fond of it.”
― Robert E. Lee

“The education of a man ( or woman ) is never completed until he dies.”
― Robert E. Lee

“I am A man, not a sponge! If god wished a sponge to think, A SPONGE WOULD THINK!”
― Robert E. Lee, Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Courtroom Drama in which Two Men Wage the Legal War of the Century

“It is good that war is so terrible, or we should become too fond of it.”
― Robert E. Lee