"If my soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army"
About this Quote
The specific intent is managerial as much as ideological. Frederick commanded a relatively small state that survived by turning discipline into a strategic advantage. Prussia could not outnumber its rivals, so it out-drilled them. A soldier who deliberates becomes unpredictable; unpredictability in an 18th-century line infantry battle is not creativity, its a gap in the formation. The quote flatters the system that made Frederick formidable: centralized authority, rigid hierarchy, and a cultivated readiness to absorb violence on command.
The subtext is darker. If thinking empties the ranks, what keeps men in uniform is not conviction but constraint: social pressure, coercion, habit, fear, pay. Frederick is also confessing a dependency. The state requires a class of people trained to suspend moral and political judgment so the sovereign can act without friction. Read that way, the remark is less about soldiers and more about power: the ruler knows the legitimacy of his wars cannot survive prolonged scrutiny from those ordered to fight them.
Its an accidental indictment wrapped in a boast, and thats why it still stings.
Quote Details
| Topic | Military & Soldier |
|---|---|
| Source | Later attribution: Soldier (R.G. Grant, Reg Grant, 2009) modern compilationISBN: 9781405359160 · ID: 3rc3xO9A7MYC
Evidence:
... IF MY SOLDIERS WERE TO BEGIN TO THINK , NOT ONE OF THEM WOULD REMAIN IN THE ARMY . FREDERICK II OF PRUSSIA , WHOSE VICTORIES WERE THE ENVY OF OTHER EUROPEAN RULERS Battle of Hohenfriedberg , 1745 Frederick II's Grenadier Guards advance ... |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
II, Frederick. (2026, February 22). If my soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-my-soldiers-were-to-begin-to-think-not-one-of-104778/
Chicago Style
II, Frederick. "If my soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army." FixQuotes. February 22, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-my-soldiers-were-to-begin-to-think-not-one-of-104778/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If my soldiers were to begin to think, not one of them would remain in the army." FixQuotes, 22 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-my-soldiers-were-to-begin-to-think-not-one-of-104778/. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
