---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My ambition in the Army was to make…"
description: "\"My ambition in the Army was to make everybody I worked for regretful when I was ordered to other duty.\" — Dwight D. Eisenhower"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_ambition_my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-ever_266097.jpg"
---

#  My ambition in the Army was to make everybody I worked for…

![“My ambition in the Army was to make everybody I worked for regretful when I was ordered to other duty.” quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_ambition_my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-ever_266097.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_ambition_my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-ever_266097.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_ambition_my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-ever_266097.jpg)

> “My ambition in the Army was to make everybody I worked for regretful when I was ordered to other duty.”

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

## About This Quote

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

He expresses a desire for his subordinates to feel regret when reassigned, reflecting a competitive or punitive leadership style.

**In simple terms:** He wanted his troops to regret being reassigned.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on leadership impact on morale.

Themes

leadership military morale competition

Mood

reflective critical

Type

military leadership

When to use this quote

- military training
- career advancement
- team management
- performance reviews

Key Concepts

command dynamics psychology of authority organizational behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- How does leadership style affect unit cohesion?
- What are healthier ways to motivate staff?

A Different Perspective

Such an approach can damage trust and cohesion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Regretful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regretful/)

## Related quotes

> [“You can not have empty or neutral mind, as long as you work the mind will contain dreams, if you stop working it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/you-can-not-have-empty-or-neutral-mind-as-long-as-you-work-the-mind/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [“Regrets, Blacksmith, make poor currency. You can't but back with them what you most desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/regrets-blacksmith-make-poor-currency-you-can-t-but-back-with-them/)

[John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/)

> [Depending on what you did last night is either a Good Morning or a regretful one..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jreyes/depending-on-what-you-did-last-night-is-either-a-good-morning-or-a/)

JREYES

> [The end we know not; but we wander on, Down the regretful wilderness of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-abbey/the-end-we-know-not-but-we-wander-on-down-the-regretful-wilderness-of/)

[Henry Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-abbey/)

> [As for those who protest that I am robbing people of the great comfort and consolation they gain from Christianity, I can only say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-hughes/as-for-those-who-protest-that-i-am-robbing-people-of-the-great/)

[Rupert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-hughes/)

> [And to have spent the night sleeping and awoken regretful, is better than to have spent the night standing (in prayer) and awaken impressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/and-to-have-spent-the-night-sleeping-and-awoken-regretful-is-better/)

[Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/)

> [“At the end, life will hold us responsible for all the blessings that we refused to acknowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/at-the-end-life-will-hold-us-responsible-for-all-the-blessings-that/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [ \[ Rajiv Gandhi\] was very reflective and rueful and regretful about the fact that his children's education...He wanted them to get educated outside of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/rajiv-gandhi-was-very-reflective-and-rueful-and-regretful-about-the/)

[Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/)

> [“How wrong they were. I wasn’t a poor little thing at all. Even as early as this, such is the relief when pressure is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/how-wrong-they-were-i-wasn-t-a-poor-little-thing-at-all-even-as-early/)

[Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/)

> [“Well, say you only have two choices. You can like red or you can like blue. It’s easy to look at those two colors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-sedoti/well-say-you-only-have-two-choices-you-can-like-red-or-you-can-like/)

[Chelsea Sedoti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-sedoti/)

> [“its better to fly down than to fly high because when you fall down you its more regretful that you accept.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-relato/its-better-to-fly-down-than-to-fly-high-because-when-you-fall-down/)

[Angela Relato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-relato/)

> [The historical relationship between Christians and Jews for most of the two thousand years of Christianity has not been good and it's been mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/the-historical-relationship-between-christians-and-jews-for-most-of/)

[Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/)

> [I am thrilled. I love movies. I don't have those nagging, regretful feelings about either of them, it is a miracle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-am-thrilled-i-love-movies-i-don-t-have-those-nagging-regretful/)

[Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/)

> [A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering after the past or a fettering of the free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/a-good-world-needs-knowledge-kindliness-and-courage-it-does-not-need/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/the-most-regretful-people-on-earth-are-those-who-felt-the-call-to/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

## More by Dwight D. Eisenhower

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/every-gun-that-is-made-every-warship-launched-every-rocket-fired/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [We have won an armistice on a single battlefield, not peace in our world. We may not now relax our guard nor cease our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/we-have-won-an-armistice-on-a-single-battlefield-not-peace-in-our/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [With a full century of contrary proof in our possession and despite our demonstrated capacity for cooperative teamwork, some among us seem to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/with-a-full-century-of-contrary-proof-in-our-possession-and-despite/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Things are more like they are now than they ever were before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/things-are-more-like-they-are-now-than-they-ever-were-before/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/soldiers-sailors-and-airmen-of-the-allied-expeditionary-force-you-are/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/don-t-join-the-book-burners-don-t-think-you-re-going-to-conceal/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Knowledge-full, unfettered knowledge of its own heritage, of freedom's enemies, of the whole world of men and ideas-this knowledge is a free people's surest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/knowledge-full-unfettered-knowledge-of-its-own-heritage-of-freedom-s/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Any nations right to a form of government and economic system of its own choosing is inalienable. Any nations attempt to dictate to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/any-nations-right-to-a-form-of-government-and-economic-system-of-its/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The peace we seek, founded upon decent trust and cooperation among nations, can be fortified not by weapons of war but by wheat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-peace-we-seek-founded-upon-decent-trust-and-cooperation-among/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The only way to win World War III is to prevent it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-only-way-to-win-world-war-iii-is-to-prevent-it/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [I’m going to pass a law that no one can ask me my golf score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-m-going-to-pass-a-law-that-no-one-can-ask-me-my-golf-score/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [For all that we cherish and justly desire - for ourselves or for our children - the securing of peace is the first requisite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/for-all-that-we-cherish-and-justly-desire-for-ourselves-or-for-our/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Never waste a minute thinking about people you don't like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/never-waste-a-minute-thinking-about-people-you-don-t-like/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Do not needlessly endanger your lives until I give you the signal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/do-not-needlessly-endanger-your-lives-until-i-give-you-the-signal/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

[Explore all 515 Dwight D. Eisenhower quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

## More Ambition quotes

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/)

[Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/)

> [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/)

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

> [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/)

[Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/)

> [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/)

[Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/)

> [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/)

[Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/)

> [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/)

[Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

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

> [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/)

[Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/)

> [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/)

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

> [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/)

[Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/)

> [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/)

[London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/)

> [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/)

[Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/)

[Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My ambition in the Army was to make everybody I worked for regretful when I was ordered to other duty.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dwight D. Eisenhower"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-everybody-i-worked-for-regretful/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ambition"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-everybody-i-worked-for-regretful/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_ambition_my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-ever_266097.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_ambition_my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-ever_266097.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/dwight-d-eisenhower-499_ambition_my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-ever_266097.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My ambition in the Army was to make everybody I worked for regretful when I was ordered to other duty.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower",
                "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": "Dwight D. Eisenhower",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My ambition in the Army was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-everybody-i-worked-for-regretful/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/my-ambition-in-the-army-was-to-make-everybody-i-worked-for-regretful/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
