Robert E Lee Quotes

You cannot barter manhood for peace. ~ Robert E.Lee

Any victory would be dear at such a price. ~ Robert E.Lee

Show me a shouter, and I'll show you an also-ran. A might-have-been, an almost-was. ~ Robert E. Lee

Life Insurance trusts I consider sacred. To hazard the property of the dead & to lose the scanty earnings of fathers & husbands, who have toiled & saved that they may leave something to their families deprived of their care & the support of their labour, is to my mind the worst of crimes. ~ Robert E.Lee

Abandon your animosities and make your sons Americans! ~ Robert E.Lee

I consider the proper education of our youths one of the most important objects now to be attained and one from which the greatest benefits may be expected. ~ Robert E.Lee

It is glorious to see such courage in one so young. ~ Robert E.Lee

But what a cruel thing is war to separate and destroy families and friends. ~ Robert E.Lee

Act with a determination not to be turned aside by thoughts of the past and fears of the future. ~ Robert E.Lee

Marry ... into a family that will enable your children to feel proud of both sides of the house. ~ Robert E.Lee

United we stand, divided we fall

Just watch us as we beat ya'll.

You say 'brother against brother'?

Well, my brother screwed your mother

And she liked it!

We'll kick your shins and break your knee

'Cause all you got is Robert E. Lee.

Farbs! ~ Leila Sales

Without music, we wouldn't have an Army. ~ Robert E.Lee

The landscape in Montgomery and in the South is just saturated with imagery. Markers are everywhere. There's a marker for the first Confederate post office, there's a marker for a ball that Robert E. Lee hosted, there's a marker for where Jefferson Davis had a meeting. We love reminding people about all that was going on in the mid-nineteenth century. ~ Bryan Stevenson

I am of the opinion that all who can should vote for the most intelligent, honest, and conscientious men eligible to office, irrespective of former party opinions, who will endeavour to make the new constitutions and the laws passed under them as beneficial as possible to the true interests, prosperity, and liberty of all classes and conditions of the people. ~ Robert E.Lee

Teach him to deny himself. ~ Robert E.Lee

If you have any fault to find with anyone, tell him, not others, of what you complain; there is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man's face and another behind his back. ~ Robert E.Lee

I would rather die a thousand deaths than surrender. ~ Robert E.Lee

I will attack no matter what and win the war! ~ Robert E.Lee

Lee assess a subordinate commander as all lion; no fox. ~ Robert E.Lee

I can only say that I am nothing but a poor sinner, trusting in Christ alone for salvation. ~ Robert E.Lee

We must forgive our enemies. I can truly say that not a day has passed since the war began that I have not prayed for them. ~ Robert E.Lee

As a general principle you should not force young men to do their duty, but let them do it voluntarily and thereby develop their characters. ~ Robert E.Lee

The devil's name is dullness. ~ Robert E.Lee

For I consider the character of no man affected by a want of success, provided he has made an honest effort to succeed. ~ Robert E.Lee

Death is the enemy. But the enemy has superior forces. Eventually, it wins. And in a war that you cannot win, you don't want a general who fights to the point of total annihilation. You don't want Custer. You want Robert E. Lee, someone who knows how to fight for territory that can be won and how to surrender it when it can't, someone who understands that the damage is greatest if all you do is battle to the bitter end. ~ Atul Gawande

The war ... was an unnecessary condition of affairs, and might have been avoided if forebearance and wisdom had been practiced on both sides. ~ Robert E.Lee

Shake off those gloomy feelings. Drive them away. Fix your mind and pleasures upon what is before you.All is bright if you will think it so. All is happy if you will make it so. Do not dream. It is too ideal, too imaginary. Dreaming by day, I mean. Live in the world you inhabit. Look upon things as they are. Take them as you find them. Make the best of them. Turn them to your advantage. ~ Robert E.Lee

The enemy never sees the backs of my Texans! ~ Robert E.Lee

You have only always to do what is right. It will become easier by practice, and you enjoy in the midst of your trials the pleasure of an approving conscience. ~ Robert E.Lee

Let us go home and cultivate our virtues. ~ Robert E.Lee

The simple view is that medicine exists to fight death and disease, and that is, of course, its most basic task. Death is the enemy. But the enemy has superior forces. Eventually, it wins. And, in a war that you cannot win, you don't want a general who fights to the point of total annihilation. You don't want Custer. You want Robert E. Lee, someone who knew how to fight for territory when he could and how to surrender when he couldn't, someone who understood that the damage is greatest if all you do is fight to the bitter end. ~ Atul Gawande

I think it better to do right, even if we suffer in so doing, than to incur the reproach of our consciences and posterity. ~ Robert E.Lee

Let us pray for ourselves, that we may not lose the word "concern" out of our Christian vocabulary. Let us pray for our nation. Let us pray for those who have never known Jesus Christ and redeeming love, for moral forces everywhere, for our national leaders. Let prayer be our passion. Let prayer be our practice. ~ Robert E.Lee

We must ... submit ourselves in adversity to the will of a merciful God as cheerfully as in prosperity. ~ Robert E.Lee

If a friend asks a favor, you should grant it if it is reasonable; if not, tell him plainly why you cannot: You will wrong him and wrong yourself by equivocation of any kind. ~ Robert E.Lee

The trite saying that honesty is the best policy has met with the just criticism that honesty is not policy. The real honest man is honest from conviction of what is right, not from policy. ~ Robert E.Lee

I've been a soldier all my life. I've fought from the ranks on up, you know my service. But sir, I must tell you now, I believe this attack will fail. No 15,000 men ever made could take that ridge. It's a distance of more than a mile, over open ground. When the men come out of the trees, they will be under fire from Yankee artillery from all over the field. And those are Hancock's boys! And now, they have the stone wall like we did at Fredericksburg.
- Lieutenant General James Longstreet to General Robert E. Lee after the initial Confederate victories on day one of the Battle of Gettysburg. ~ Michael Shaara

The truth is this: The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress is so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope." - ROBERT E. LEE ~ Kirsten Beyer

It is good that war is so terrible, or we should become too fond of it

Robert E. Lee ~ Greg Seeley

Death, in its silent sure march is fast gathering those whom I have longest loved, so that when he shall knock at my door, I will more willingly follow. ~ Robert E.Lee

I am A man, not a sponge! If god wished a sponge to think, A SPONGE WOULD THINK! ~ Robert E.Lee

Let danger never turn you aside from the pursuit of honor or the service to your country ... Know that death is inevitable and the fame of virtue is immortal ~ Robert E.Lee

We should live, act, and say nothing to the injury of anyone. It is not only best as a matter of principle, but it is the path to peace and honor. ~ Robert E.Lee

Out of the blue, he kissed me. Right in the middle of the Robert E. Lee Hotel Restaurant, he kissed me so slowly with an open mouth and every single thing in my body-my skin, my collarbone, the hollow backs of my knees, everything inside of me filled up with light. ~ Kathryn Stockett

Such an executive officer the sun never shone on. I have but to show him my design, and I know that it can be done, it will be done ... Straight as the needle to the pole he advanced to the execution of my purpose. ~ Robert E.Lee

I have thought from the time of the cessation of the hostilities, that silence and patience on the part of the South was the true course; and I think so still. Controversy of all kinds will, in my opinion, only serve to continue excitement and passion, and will prevent the public mind from the acknowledgement and acceptance of the truth. ~ Robert E.Lee

They do not know what they say. If it came to a conflict of arms, the war will last at least four years. Northern politicians will not appreciate the determination and pluck of the South, and Southern politicians do not appreciate the numbers, resources, and patient perseverance of the North. Both sides forget that we are all Americans. I foresee that our country will pass through a terrible ordeal, a necessary expiation, perhaps, for our national sins. ~ Robert E.Lee

Notwithstanding our boastful assertions to the world, for nearly a century, that our government was based on the consent of the people, it rests upon force, as much as any government that ever existed. - Robert E. Lee ~ William C. Davis

It's the loneliest feeling in the world-to find yourself standing up when everybody else is sitting down. To have everybody look at you and say, 'What's the matter with him?' I know. I know what it feels like. Walking down an empty street, listening to the sound of your own footsteps. Shutters closed, blinds drawn, doors locked against you. And you aren't sure whether you're walking toward something, or if you're just walking away. ~ Robert E.Lee

I have always observed that wherever you find the negro, everything is going down around him, and wherever you find the white man, you see everything around him improving. ~ Robert E.Lee

All I ever wanted was a Virginia farm, no end of cream and fresh butter and fried chicken - not one fried chicken, or two, but unlimited fried chicken. ~ Robert E.Lee

True patriotism sometimes requires of men to act exactly contrary, at one period, to that which it does at another, and the motive which impels them the desire to do right is precisely the same. ~ Robert E.Lee

I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself. ~ Robert E.Lee

A man may manifest and communicate his joy, but he should conceal and smother his grief as much as possible. ~ Robert E.Lee

Alabama soldiers, all I ask of you is to keep up with the Texans! ~ Robert E.Lee

Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character. ~ Robert E.Lee

I have never witnessed on any previous occasion such entire disregard of the usage of civilized warfare and the dictates of humanity. ~ Robert E.Lee

My heart bleeds at the death of every one of our gallant men. ~ Robert E.Lee

I believe it to be the duty of everyone to unite in the restoration of the country and the reestablishment of peace and harmony. ~ Robert E.Lee

There is always hazard in military activity, but we must decide between the positive loss of inactivity and the risk of action. ~ Robert E.Lee

It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it. ~ Robert E.Lee

We have but one rule here, and that is that every student must be a gentleman. ~ Robert E.Lee

I think [Robert E.] Lee should have been hanged. It was all the worse that he was a good man, had a good character, and acted conscientiously. It's always the good men who do the most harm. ~ Henry Adams

With all my devotion to the Union, and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relative, my children, my home. I have, therefore, resigned my commission in the Army ... ~ Robert E.Lee

Everyone should do all in his power to collect and disseminate the truth, in the hope that it may find a place in history and descend to posterity. History is not the relation of campaigns and battles and generals or other individuals, but that which shows the principles for which the South contended and which justified her struggle for those principles. ~ Robert E.Lee

Never do a wrong thing to make a friend
or to keep one. ~ Robert E.Lee

It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it. ~ Robert E.Lee

There is nothing left for me to do but to go and see General Grant and I would rather die a thousand deaths. ~ Robert E.Lee

In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution is a moral & political evil in any country. It is useless to expatiate on its disadvantages. ~ Robert E.Lee

No blame can be attached to the army for its failure to accomplish what was projected by me ... I alone am to blame, in perhaps expecting too much of its prowess and valor ... could I have foreseen that the attack on the last day would fail, I should certainly have tried some other course ... but I do not know what better course I could have pursued. ~ Robert E.Lee

I was too weak to defend, so I attacked ~ Robert E.Lee

My experience through life has convinced me that, while moderation and temperance in all things are commendable and beneficial, abstinence from spirituous liquors is the best safeguard of morals and health. ~ Robert E.Lee

Traveller is my only companion ... He and I ... wander out in the mountains and enjoy sweet confidence. ~ Robert E.Lee

A Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets has no charm for me. If the Union is dissolved and government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people, and save in defense will draw my sword on none. ~ Robert E.Lee

Go home all you boys who fought with me and help build up the shattered fortunes of our old state ~ Robert E.Lee

There is a true glory and a true honor: the glory of duty done
the honor of the integrity of principle. ~ Robert E.Lee

I endeavored to give thanks to our Heavenly Father for all his mercies to me, for his preservation of me through all the dangers I have passed, and all the blessings which he has bestowed upon me, for I know I fall far short of my obligations ~ Robert E.Lee

It is easier to make our wishes conform to our means than to make our means conform to our wishes. ~ Robert E.Lee

The enemy is here, and if we do not whip him, he will whip us. ~ Robert E.Lee

While we see the course of the final abolition of human slavery is onward, & we give it the aid of our prayers & all justifiable means in our power, we must leave the progress as well as the result in his hands who sees the end; who chooses to work by slow influences; & with whom two thousand years are but as a single day. ~ Robert E.Lee

All motion is relative. Perhaps it is you who have moved away-by standing still ~ Robert E.Lee

have got Lee just where I want him; he must fight me on my own ground." So he waited to see what would happen - which was usually a fatal thing to do in the vicinity of Robert E. Lee. ~ Allen C. Guelzo

Lee tells his troops. After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources. ~ Robert E.Lee

Ideas are easy to conceive, less easy to execute. ~ Robert E.Lee

My chief concern is to try to be an humble, earnest Christian. ~ Robert E.Lee

My experiences of men has neither disposed me to think worse of them nor be indisposed to serve them: nor, in spite of failures which I lament, of errors which I now see and acknowledge, or the present aspect of affairs, do I despair of the future. The truth is this: The march of Providence is so slow and our desires so impatient; the work of progress so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope. ~ Robert E.Lee

There is scarcely anything that is right that we cannot hope to accomplish by labor and perseverance. But the first must be earnest and the second unremitting. ~ Robert E.Lee

Read history, works of truth, not novels and romances ~ Robert E.Lee

I did only what my duty demanded. I could have taken no other course without dishonor. ~ Robert E.Lee

Richmond's newspaper questioned how a senior general could not even get two of his own generals to cooperate with him. They nicknamed him "Granny" Lee or "The King Of Spades," because he insisted that his men dig trenches on Sewell Mountain. ~ Clint Johnson

Cadets can neither be treated as schoolboys or soldiers. ~ Robert E.Lee

You cannot be a true man until you learn to obey. ~ Robert E.Lee

Postal officials say that before Christmas they receive tons of letters written to Santa Claus, but after Christmas how few letters of thanks are sent to him! From childhood onward, human beings seem to be characterized by thanklessness. ~ Robert E.Lee

Get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to leave without regret. ~ Robert E.Lee

The Victorian era was an age of superlatives and larger-than-life characters, and as far as that goes, Dr. Wildman Whitehouse fit right in: what Victoria was to monarchs, Dickens to novelists, Burton to explorers, Robert E. Lee to generals, Dr. Wildman Whitehouse was to assholes. The only 19th-century figure who even comes close to him in this department is Custer. ~ Neal Stephenson

So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained. ~ Robert E.Lee

We made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We appointed all our worst generals to command our armies, and all our best generals to edit the newspapers ~ Robert E.Lee

Sir, if you ever presume again to speak disrespectfully of General Grant in my presence, either you or I will sever his connection with this university. ~ Robert E.Lee

What a glorious world Almighty God has given us. How thankless and ungrateful we are, and how we labor to mar his gifts. ~ Robert E.Lee

My words are not that powerful. I started saying in 1985 I don't think we should have a music talking about ni**ers and b*tches and h*es. It had no impact. I've said it. I've repeated it. I still repeat it. To me, that's more damaging than a statue of Robert E. Lee. ~ Wynton Marsalis