Army Quote by Stephen Ambrose
“In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries you have these great nation states hurling their young men at one another. The victory was really going to rest on who could do the best job of bringing up their kids to become efficient and effective soldiers. That's pretty grandiose, I guess, but I do think that, and thank God it's been the armies of democracy that have emerged from this as the triumphant armies.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Citizen Soldiers, 1997
Describes how democratic societies trained citizens as effective soldiers, contrasting with other nations' approaches.
In simple terms: Democracy produced capable armies through citizen training.
Key Takeaway
Value democratic training for effective forces.
Themes
history
military
democracy
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
historical
educational
When to use this quote
- military education
- policy analysis
- historical research
Key Concepts
citizen soldier
nationalism
training methods
Questions to Reflect On
- How does citizen training impact military ethics?
- What lessons apply to modern civic engagement?
A Different Perspective
Democratic armies face political constraints and varied morale.
![“I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect [Donald Trump], or then-president [Barack Obama]. But it's - I'm very clear. I voted for the change that put the Army Field Manual in place as a member of Congress. I understand that law very, very quickly and am also deeply aware…” quote by James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/761/james-mattis-9515_army_i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-th_3990.jpg)
