Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Manvational Posters - George Patton

I found this on The Art of Manliness and thought it needed to be posted here. I did a similar post on Teddy Roosevelt here on BadskiBlog a few months back. Basically they replicate those cheesy motivational posters that are found in offices across the nation, only instead of some picture of a waterfall and a quote on persistence they are filled with quotes from real leaders and examples of manliness. Pretty cool. Here is an excerpt from the post and a sample of a few of my favorites from General Patton.

George “Old Blood and Guts” Patton was a four star generally who ably led American troops during World War II. In his 36 years of distinguished service to the military, he earned the Purple Heart, 2 Distinguished Service Crosses, 3 Distinguished Service Medals, 2 Silver Stars, and several other decorations as well. Patton was as famous for his efficiency on the battlefield as his colorful personality off of it. He was a sight to behold, with his medals emblazoned on his chest, a shiny helmet upon his head, and two ivory-handled pistols around his waist. The men who served under him groused about his demand for absolute discipline, yet they knew that his strict leadership upped their chances for survival.

Patton, like every single man from history, was far from perfect. His love of war bordered on the crazy, and his behavior and outspoken nature often got him in trouble. His most famous controversial incident occurred when he slapped a man suffering from “battle fatigue” in a hospital and called him a coward.

But he was decidedly good at his job. He was born to lead men in battle. And while one can certainly disagree with his philosophy, he was undeniably a compelling leader and master motivator of men. His words will give any man a needed kick in the pants.





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