John Keegan
John Keegan
Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan OBE FRSLwas a British military historian, lecturer, writer and journalist. He was the author of many published works on the nature of combat between the 14th and 21st centuries concerning land, air, maritime, and intelligence warfare, as well as the psychology of battle...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionHistorian
Date of Birth15 May 1934
men leader needs
The leader of men in warfare can show himself to his followers only through a mask, a mask that he must make for himself, but a mask made in such form as will mark him to men of his time and place as the leader they want and need.
writing history people
The historian ought to be an educated person, writing for other educated people about something which they don't know about, but wish to know about in a way that they can understand.
regret mean people
It's commonly said that people who've been ill in childhood and who've had an upset education never really regret that they do. It means that you don't look at the world in the way that other people do, and if you were inclined to be a writer, that's a help.
pieces speech energy
Hitler ... lacked the [inclination] for anything more than the occasional sensational display of emotion, in particular the great set-piece speech which mesmerized the mob and left him drained of ... energy.
years islam west
The revival of Islam dates from the early years of the 20th century. It was brought about by their humiliation, by their sense of how low they'd fallen compared with the West.
men people terrible
The great men of power who seek to change the nations they belong to usually are pretty terrible people.
clever fighting men
The great Chinese classics have always said that it's better not to fight; that the clever man achieves his ends without violence; that a battle delayed is better than a battle fought.
years should teach
Nobody should teach anywhere for 25 years, but I did.
school government sea
We forget today that Britain still depends for its livelihood and, indeed, its day-to-day survival, on the sea. But the Royal Navy is now pitifully small and has been reduced in size by the current Government, seeking economies to finance its social programmes. Fine while there is no threat to our security. But what use would schools and hospitals be if we could not protect our imports?
gentleman natural wellington
If Wellington epitomizes the English gentleman, Eisenhower epitomizes the natural American gentleman.
baby children thinking
We saw the children and the women with their babies and then I heard the poouff — the flame had broken through the thatched roof and there was a yellow- brown smoke column going up into the air. It didn't hit me all that much then, but when I think of it now — I slaughtered those people. I murdered them.
people trying wells
Well, if they are trying to kill you, on the whole they're the people you have to kill, aren't they?
people terrorist
Some people are more terrorist than others
people wicked world
There are certain wicked people in the world that you can't deal with except by force