Ralph Peters Quotes

If there is a single power the West underestimates, it is the power of collective hatred.

Human beings may hate a distant enemy in theory, but they generally prefer to kill their neighbors.

A soldier's duty…" Taylor intoned the last word in a voice of granite, "is to do an honest day's work in dishonest times… and to make the best out of the worst fucking mess imaginable. It means… believing in your heart that some things are more important than your personal devils… or even your personal beliefs. It means the willingness to give up… everything." Taylor sat back in his chair, never breaking eye contact. "And sometimes it just means lacing up your boots one more time when the whole world's going to shit.

The great paradox of the 21st century is that, in this age of powerful technology, the biggest problems we face internationally are problems of the human soul.

Imam Rauf and his backers have every legal right to build their extravagant Islamic center within the lethal radius of Ground Zero. But the rest of us have the right to question why they insist on doing so.

I've been to many countries and watched a number of conflicts or their residue, and I've served in the military.

In the Gulf War, U.S. Marine Corps wheeled vehicles were killing Iraqi T-72 tanks.

Jihad expands Islam's domain by any means available.

There is no lack of bravery in the ranks of our armed forces, but bureaucratic cowardice rules in our intelligence establishment (as well as at the higher levels of military command).

Each day, each one of us chooses not to do many things that would be legal but offensive to those around us.

Idealism has devolved into madness.

The extremes to which Western elites will go to avoid blaming radical Islam for terrorism cripples our efforts to protect innocent Muslims. Terrified of offending butchers, we insist that we're the bigots, not them. We make excuses for monsters.

A nation that is Christian at its heart doesn't need to write it into law.

The M-1 is the best tank in the world, if you can get it to the war in time, if you have a Saddam Hussein who'll give you seven months to move your forces in.

We [the U.S.] think nothing ... of attempting to inflict upon other peoples forms of government ill-tailored to their needs.

A Hamas terrorist, a UN aid worker and a journalist walked into a Gaza hookah bar. And no one could tell who was who.

We have moved from an age in which government leaders sought to do what was best for the people to one in which the political leadership is convinced it knows what is best for the people, whether they like it or not.

When I'm writing about reality, I'm writing about death. When I'm writing fiction, I'm writing about life.

Make no mistake: the anti-war voices long for us to lose any war they cannot prevent.

We [Americans] choose not to understand the world on terms other than our own.