--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If one little old general in shirt…" description: "\"If one little old general in shirt sleeves can take Saigon, think about 200 million Chinese comin' down those trails. No sir, I don't want to fight the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/lyndon-b-johnson-684_chinese_if-one-little-old-general-in-shirt-sleev_2994897.png" --- # If one little old general in shirt sleeves can take… ![“If one little old general in shirt sleeves can take Saigon, think about 200 million Chinese comin' down those trails. No sir, I don't want to fight them.” quote by Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/lyndon-b-johnson-684_chinese_if-one-little-old-general-in-shirt-sleev_2994897.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/lyndon-b-johnson-684_chinese_if-one-little-old-general-in-shirt-sleev_2994897.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ff/lyndon-b-johnson-684_chinese_if-one-little-old-general-in-shirt-sleev_2994897.png) > “If one little old general in shirt sleeves can take Saigon, think about 200 million Chinese comin' down those trails. No sir, I don't want to fight them.” [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A small general could capture Saigon, yet the prospect of massive Chinese forces is daunting; I refuse to fight them. **In simple terms:** General could take Saigon; Chinese threat feared. Key Takeaway Weigh strategic risks before engagement. Themes politics military strategy Mood cautious strategic Type political military When to use this quote - war planning - diplomacy - national security Key Concepts geopolitics power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What are the costs of inaction? - How to deter large threats? A Different Perspective Avoiding conflict may embolden adversaries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Million Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-chinese-918310/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Old General](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-general-4725300/) [Saigon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saigon/) [Saigon Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saigon-think-4725299/) [Shirts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shirts/) [Sleeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleeves/) [Sleeves Saigon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleeves-saigon-4725301/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trails/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [ I don't mind 800 million Chinese drinking a bottle \[of Coca-Cola\] a day, but I don't want them to bring back the empties. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/i-don-t-mind-800-million-chinese-drinking-a-bottle-of-coca-cola-a-day/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [How can the reality of 600 million Chinese be ignored?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janio-quadros/how-can-the-reality-of-600-million-chinese-be-ignored/) [Janio Quadros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janio-quadros/) > [But a multitude of people, even the two hundred million of the Chinese empire, cannot subsist without civil government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-stiles/but-a-multitude-of-people-even-the-two-hundred-million-of-the-chinese/) [Ezra Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-stiles/) > [Nobody gives way to anybody. 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