"The British soldier can stand up to anything except the British War Office"
- George Bernard Shaw
About this Quote
This quote by George Bernard Shaw is a criticism of the British War Office, which is the administrative body responsible for the management of the British Armed Forces. Shaw is indicating that the British soldier is brave and resistant, but is let down by the War Office's incompetence. He is suggesting that the War Office is not able to provide the needed assistance and resources to the soldiers, which this is the only thing that can stop them from attaining their goals. Shaw is highlighting the requirement for better management and management from the War Office, so that the soldiers can be offered the best chance of success. He is also suggesting that the War Office should be held responsible for any failures in the military, as it is ultimately responsible for the decisions that are made. This quote is a reminder that the War Office ought to be held to a greater requirement, and that it needs to be held accountable for its actions.
"Diplomats are just as essential to starting a war as soldiers are for finishing it... You take diplomacy out of war, and the thing would fall flat in a week"
"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, and the women come out to cut up what remains, jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains and go to your gawd like a soldier"
"Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership"