---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dead battles, like dead generals, hold…"
description: "\"Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind in their dead grip.\" — Barbara Tuchman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/barbara-tuchman-3945_battle_dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the_2885527.png"
---

#  Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind…

![“Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind in their dead grip.” quote by Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/barbara-tuchman-3945_battle_dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the_2885527.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/barbara-tuchman-3945_battle_dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the_2885527.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/barbara-tuchman-3945_battle_dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the_2885527.png)

> “Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind in their dead grip.”

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

War’s lingering legacy grips minds like a dead general’s command.

**In simple terms:** War’s memory holds power over people.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and release past trauma.

Themes

war memory psychology history leadership

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

historical philosophical

When to use this quote

- leadership training
- mental health
- peacebuilding

Key Concepts

military culture psychological grip historical analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- What modern “dead generals” influence decisions?
- How can societies move beyond past militarism?

A Different Perspective

Historical analogies may oversimplify complex modern conflicts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) [Generals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generals/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind in their dead grip and Germans, no less than other peoples, prepare for the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-w-tuchman-2/dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the-military-mind-in-their-dead/)

Barbara W Tuchman

> [The military mind is indeed a menace. Old-fashioned futurity that sees only men fighting and dying in smoke and fire; hears nothing more civilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-casey/the-military-mind-is-indeed-a-menace-old-fashioned-futurity-that-sees/)

[Sean O'Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-casey/)

> [The only thing harder than getting a new idea into the military mind is to get an old one out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-h-liddell-hart/the-only-thing-harder-than-getting-a-new-idea-into-the-military-mind/)

[B. H. Liddell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-h-liddell-hart/)

> [“The second reason for which the military mind addresses itself to specific assumed situations is on the occasions when there may in reality exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-wylie/the-second-reason-for-which-the-military-mind-addresses-itself-to/)

[J.C. Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-wylie/)

> [The military mind has one aim, and that is to make soldiers react as mechanically as possible. They want the same predictability in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-brando/the-military-mind-has-one-aim-and-that-is-to-make-soldiers-react-as/)

[Marlon Brando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-brando/)

> [I was born military. I made up my mind right away, 'Im gong to do this for the rest of my life.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-boesch/i-was-born-military-i-made-up-my-mind-right-away-im-gong-to-do-this/)

[Rudy Boesch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-boesch/)

> [The professional military mind is by necessity an inferior and unimaginative mind; no man of high intellectual quality would willingly imprison his gifts in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-professional-military-mind-is-by-necessity-an-inferior-and/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [“The insensitivity of the military mind is the result of fearing the worst and acting on the basis of worst case scenarios. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rikhi-jaipal/the-insensitivity-of-the-military-mind-is-the-result-of-fearing-the/)

Rikhi Jaipal

> [Nothing so comforts the military mind as the maxim of a great but dead general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-so-comforts-the-military-mind-as-the-maxim-of-a-great-but/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The military mind tends to be conservative, realistic and historical. The civilian mind tends to be liberal, idealistic and Utopian. Journalists, obviously, are civilians,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-riebling/the-military-mind-tends-to-be-conservative-realistic-and-historical/)

Mark Riebling

> [Generals who can write always make me nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/generals-who-can-write-always-make-me-nervous/)

[Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/)

> [“McClellan knew that Jackson’s force was relatively small, so he only sent 16,000 men under the command of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/mcclellan-knew-that-jackson-s-force-was-relatively-small-so-he-only/)

[Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/)

> [Trump has claimed he knows more about ISIS than America's leading generals. Clearly, this is also total nonsense; he doesn't seem to have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/trump-has-claimed-he-knows-more-about-isis-than-america-s-leading/)

[Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/)

> [We had generals who were admirals and admirals who wanted to be generals. Generals acting as admirals are bad enough, but it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holland-smith/we-had-generals-who-were-admirals-and-admirals-who-wanted-to-be/)

Holland Smith

> [Successful generals make plans to fit circumstances, but do not try to create circumstances to fit plans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/successful-generals-make-plans-to-fit-circumstances-but-do-not-try-to/)

[George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/)

## More by Barbara Tuchman

> [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [Doctrine tied itself into infinite knots over the realities of sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/doctrine-tied-itself-into-infinite-knots-over-the-realities-of-sex/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [The fleet sailed to its war base in the North Sea, headed not so much for some rendezvous with glory as for rendezvous with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/the-fleet-sailed-to-its-war-base-in-the-north-sea-headed-not-so-much/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [Learning from experience is a faculty almost never practiced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/learning-from-experience-is-a-faculty-almost-never-practiced/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [War is the unfolding of miscalculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/war-is-the-unfolding-of-miscalculations/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [The poets have familiarized more people with history than have the historians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/the-poets-have-familiarized-more-people-with-history-than-have-the/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [Money was the crux. Raising money to pay the cost of war was to cause more damage to 14th century society than the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/money-was-the-crux-raising-money-to-pay-the-cost-of-war-was-to-cause/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/misgovernment-is-of-four-kinds-often-in-combination-they-are-1/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [The power to command frequently causes failure to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/the-power-to-command-frequently-causes-failure-to-think/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [We seem to be afflicted by a widespread and eroding reluctance to take any stand on any values, moral, behavioral or esthetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/we-seem-to-be-afflicted-by-a-widespread-and-eroding-reluctance-to/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [ The clergy \[in the 14th century\] on the whole were probably no more lecherous or greedy or untrustworthy than other men, but because they… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/the-clergy-in-the-14th-century-on-the-whole-were-probably-no-more/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/without-books-history-is-silent-literature-dumb-science-crippled/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [Words are seductive and dangerous material, to be used with caution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/words-are-seductive-and-dangerous-material-to-be-used-with-caution/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [“German soldiers, posted as informers, were found dressed as peasants, even as peasant women. The latter were discovered, presumably in the course of non-military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/german-soldiers-posted-as-informers-were-found-dressed-as-peasants/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [I ask myself, have nations ever declined from a loss of moral sense rather than from physical reasons or the pressure of barbarians? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/i-ask-myself-have-nations-ever-declined-from-a-loss-of-moral-sense/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

[Explore all 119 Barbara Tuchman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

## More Battle quotes

> [In the battle for police reform, accountability and justice, Americans don't have to re-invent the wheel. We just have to revoke the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/in-the-battle-for-police-reform-accountability-and-justice-americans/)

[Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/)

> [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/)

[Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/)

> [“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. But...hear this: I think that maybe in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/which-people-take-the-time-to-care-for-their-souls-these-days-i/)

[Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/)

> [Only great and general battles can produce great results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/only-great-and-general-battles-can-produce-great-results/)

[Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/)

> [Life is a battle of wits, and many people have to fight it unarmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-battle-of-wits-and-many-people-have-to-fight-it-unarmed/)

[Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/)

> [I knew Jimmy Dean. He tested for 'Battle Cry'. Paul Newman tested for 'Battle Cry'. I did nine tests to finally get that role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/i-knew-jimmy-dean-he-tested-for-battle-cry-paul-newman-tested-for/)

[Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/)

> [“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/when-we-let-go-of-our-battles-and-open-our-heart-to-things-as-they/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [Love is a battle," said Marie-Claude, still smiling. "And I plan to go on fighting. To the end." Love is a battle?" said Franz.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/love-is-a-battle-said-marie-claude-still-smiling-and-i-plan-to-go-on/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [It's almost ironic sitting here watching stories about Norm's courageous 'battle' with cancer. He actually did a bit on stage about how stupid that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macdonald/it-s-almost-ironic-sitting-here-watching-stories-about-norm-s/)

[Neil Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macdonald/)

> [“Other folk thought the Rage was simple bloodlust, a berserk savagery that neither knew nor cared what its target was, and so it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weber/other-folk-thought-the-rage-was-simple-bloodlust-a-berserk-savagery/)

[David Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weber/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [For many people it's Facebook, or sports on TV, whatever it is. I have my own demons that I battle. But whatever they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-many-people-it-s-facebook-or-sports-on-tv-whatever-it-is-i-have/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

[Browse all 4,526 Battle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind in their dead grip.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barbara Tuchman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the-military-mind-in-their-dead-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Battle"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the-military-mind-in-their-dead-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/barbara-tuchman-3945_battle_dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the_2885527.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/barbara-tuchman-3945_battle_dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the_2885527.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/barbara-tuchman-3945_battle_dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the_2885527.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Dead battles, like dead generals, hold the military mind in their dead grip.” — Barbara Tuchman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Barbara Tuchman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Dead battles, like dead generals, hold...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the-military-mind-in-their-dead-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/dead-battles-like-dead-generals-hold-the-military-mind-in-their-dead-2/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
