--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not big armies that win battles, it…" description: "\"It is not big armies that win battles, it is the good ones.\" — Maurice de Saxe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/maurice-de-saxe-53310_army_it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it_1369608.jpg" --- # It is not big armies that win battles, it is the good ones. ![“It is not big armies that win battles, it is the good ones.” quote by Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/maurice-de-saxe-53310_army_it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it_1369608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/maurice-de-saxe-53310_army_it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it_1369608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/maurice-de-saxe-53310_army_it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it_1369608.jpg) > “It is not big armies that win battles, it is the good ones.” [Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success depends on the quality of troops, not their number. **In simple terms:** Good soldiers win, not many. Key Takeaway Focus on training and morale. Themes leadership military strategy quality over quantity Mood determined strategic Type military inspirational When to use this quote - army recruitment - military reform - leadership development Key Concepts troop cohesion discipline training morale strategy Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve the quality of your team? - What training methods boost effectiveness? A Different Perspective Large numbers can still fail without competence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armies/) [Armies Win](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armies-win-426588/) [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) [Battles Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battles-good-3132431/) [Big Armies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-armies-4466361/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Win Battles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win-battles-287528/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) ## Related quotes > [You don't always win your battles, but it's good to know you fought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-always-win-your-battles-but-it-s-good-to-know-you-fought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Countries, not just their armies, win wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/countries-not-just-their-armies-win-wars/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [The scripts that I've been getting are of epic proportion. People want me to lead the big armies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/the-scripts-that-i-ve-been-getting-are-of-epic-proportion-people-want/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [We see a transformation of warfare from the big armies and battlefields in open spaces to a fragmentation of armed groups and smaller armies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maurer/we-see-a-transformation-of-warfare-from-the-big-armies-and/) [Peter Maurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maurer/) > [If one is intelligent and applies himself well, what can he not accomplish? Even small bands of people, I have heard, have defeated whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakya-pandita/if-one-is-intelligent-and-applies-himself-well-what-can-he-not/) [Sakya Pandita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakya-pandita/) > [All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-the-armies-of-europe-asia-and-africa-combined-with-all-the/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are not intimidated by the size of the armies, or the type of hardware the US has brought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/we-are-not-intimidated-by-the-size-of-the-armies-or-the-type-of/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [With a good heart, you can win many battles!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/with-a-good-heart-you-can-win-many-battles/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [We don't take on battles so small we know we can win, we take on battles so big we dare to dream of winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-burton/we-don-t-take-on-battles-so-small-we-know-we-can-win-we-take-on/) [Sarah Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-burton/) > [The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-strongest-people-are-not-those-who-show-strength-in-front-of-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Know thy enemy and know thy self and you will win a hundred battles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/know-thy-enemy-and-know-thy-self-and-you-will-win-a-hundred-battles/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [“The fastest runners don't always win the race and the greatest heroes don't always win the battles. But just keep running and fighting if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/the-fastest-runners-don-t-always-win-the-race-and-the-greatest-heroes/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [“As long as you want the belt, don’t run away from the fight. Do what it takes to win the battles you face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/as-long-as-you-want-the-belt-don-t-run-away-from-the-fight-do-what-it/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [He who knows things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practices them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/he-who-knows-things-and-in-fighting-puts-his-knowledge-into-practice/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [You win battles by knowing the enemy's timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/you-win-battles-by-knowing-the-enemy-s-timing-and-using-a-timing/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) ## More by Maurice de Saxe > [Everyone has seen people dancing all night. But take a man and make him dance for a quarter of an hour without music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/everyone-has-seen-people-dancing-all-night-but-take-a-man-and-make/) [Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) > [Hope encourages men to endure and attempt everything; in depriving them of it, or in making it too distant, you deprive them of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/hope-encourages-men-to-endure-and-attempt-everything-in-depriving/) [Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) > [We (soldiers) are like cloaks,-one thinks of us only when it rains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/we-soldiers-are-like-cloaks-one-thinks-of-us-only-when-it-rains/) [Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) > [Altogether, Cavalry operations are exceedingly difficult, knowledge of the country is absolutely necessary, and ability to comprehend the situation at a glance, and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/altogether-cavalry-operations-are-exceedingly-difficult-knowledge-of/) [Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) > [Every unit that is not supported is a defeated unit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/every-unit-that-is-not-supported-is-a-defeated-unit/) [Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) [Explore all 6 Maurice de Saxe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) ## More Armies quotes > [It's with them that we have constituted a liberation front and brought our logistic support to armies to help their countries come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-ben-bella/it-s-with-them-that-we-have-constituted-a-liberation-front-and/) [Ahmed Ben Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-ben-bella/) > [Countries, not just their armies, win wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/countries-not-just-their-armies-win-wars/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [We are not intimidated by the size of the armies, or the type of hardware the US has brought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/we-are-not-intimidated-by-the-size-of-the-armies-or-the-type-of/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-the-armies-of-europe-asia-and-africa-combined-with-all-the/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If one is intelligent and applies himself well, what can he not accomplish? Even small bands of people, I have heard, have defeated whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakya-pandita/if-one-is-intelligent-and-applies-himself-well-what-can-he-not/) [Sakya Pandita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakya-pandita/) > [I sincerely believe... that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-sincerely-believe-that-banking-establishments-are-more-dangerous-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Rule 1, on page I of the book of war, is: "Do not march on Moscow". Various people have tried it, Napoleon and Hitler,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-law-montgomery/rule-1-on-page-i-of-the-book-of-war-is-do-not-march-on-moscow-various/) [Bernard Law Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-law-montgomery/) > [If you're in the middle of a field, surrounded by armies, left right and centre, you can't just say: 'I've had enough now, sorry.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/if-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-field-surrounded-by-armies-left-right/) [Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/) > [My favorite parts about 'The Battle of Five Armies' were the moments where you could clearly see that we were looking at New Zealand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/my-favorite-parts-about-the-battle-of-five-armies-were-the-moments/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [As we've seen, deploying large armies abroad won't always be our best offense. Countries typically don't want foreign soldiers in their cities and towns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/as-we-ve-seen-deploying-large-armies-abroad-won-t-always-be-our-best/) [John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/armies-are-a-purely-human-invention-most-soldiers-who-go-to-war/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [“How long does it take for two armies to destroy each other when one has an abundance of bodies and the other an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mazza/how-long-does-it-take-for-two-armies-to-destroy-each-other-when-one/) [Sarah Mazza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mazza/) > [Ants are so much like human beings as to be an embarrassment. They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into war, use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/ants-are-so-much-like-human-beings-as-to-be-an-embarrassment-they/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [History shows that there are no invincible armies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/history-shows-that-there-are-no-invincible-armies/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Great armies are nothing but a collection of weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-queen-of-sweden/great-armies-are-nothing-but-a-collection-of-weakness/) [Christina, Queen of Sweden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-queen-of-sweden/) [Browse all 123 Armies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not big armies that win battles, it is the good ones.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maurice de Saxe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it-is-the-good-ones/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Armies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it-is-the-good-ones/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/maurice-de-saxe-53310_army_it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it_1369608.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/maurice-de-saxe-53310_army_it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it_1369608.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/393/maurice-de-saxe-53310_army_it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it_1369608.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not big armies that win battles, it is the good ones.” — Maurice de Saxe", "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": "Maurice de Saxe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is not big armies that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it-is-the-good-ones/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/it-is-not-big-armies-that-win-battles-it-is-the-good-ones/#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 } } ] } ```