Famous Quotations
- On the military knowledge of politicians: "I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor; a gun from a howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla, although a great many resemble the latter."
- On being asked by Indira Gandhi if he was ready to fight on the eve of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: “I am always ready, sweetie."
- On being asked, had he opted for Pakistan at the time of the Partition in 1947, he quipped, “then I guess Pakistan would have won (the 1971 war)"
- On being placed in command of the retreating 4 Corps during the Sino-Indian War of 1962: “There will be no withdrawal without written orders and these orders shall never be issued.”
- About the Gurkha: "If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gurkha."
- To a surgeon who was going to give up on his bullet-riddled body who asked him what had happened and got the reply, “I was kicked by a donkey.” A joker at such a time, the surgeon reckoned, had a chance.
Read more about this topic: Sam Manekshaw
Famous quotes containing the words famous and/or quotations:
“What climbs the stair?
Nothing that common women ponder on
If you are worth my hope! Neither Content
Nor satisfied Conscience, but that great family
Some ancient famous authors misrepresent,
The Proud Furies each with her torch on high.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“Reading any collection of a man’s quotations is like eating the ingredients that go into a stew instead of cooking them together in the pot. You eat all the carrots, then all the potatoes, then the meat. You won’t go away hungry, but it’s not quite satisfying. Only a biography, or autobiography, gives you the hot meal.”
—Christopher Buckley, U.S. author. A review of three books of quotations from Newt Gingrich. “Newtie’s Greatest Hits,” The New York Times Book Review (March 12, 1995)