Top Smedley Butler Quotes - Quotesmemo.com

Smedley Butler Biography

Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940) was a United States Marine Corps major general, the highest rank authorized at that time, and at the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. During his 34-year career as a Marine, he participated in military actions in the Philippines, China, in Central America and the Caribbean during the Banana Wars, and France in World War I. Butler later became an outspoken critic of U.S. wars and their consequences, as well as exposing the Business Plot, an alleged plan to overthrow the U.S. government.

Read about Smedley Butler in Wikipedia

Random Authors

Smedley Butler Quotes

War is a racket. It always has been. . . A few profit - and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.

Groups, Taking, War, Wipe

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in.

Boys, Cities, Collect, Interests, Oil, Place

My interest is, my one hobby is, maintaining a democracy. If you get these 500,000 soldiers advocating anything smelling of Fascism, I am going to get 500,000 more and lick the hell out of you, and we will have a real war right at home.

Hell, Hobby, Home, Maintaining, Real, War

One hundred and twenty Marines were detailed to officer a force of twenty-six hundred Haitians.

Force, Hundred, Marine, Marines, Six, Twenties

It is dressed into speeches about patriotism, love of country. . . but the profits. . . skyrocket.

Age, Country, Dark, Patriotism, Profits, Speeches

. . . Senate Doc. # 259. The 65th congress(:). . . The coal companies made between 100% and 7,856% on their capital stock during the war (to end all wars, WWI). . . . The leather people sold your Uncle Sam hundreds of thousands of saddles for the calvary. But there wasn't any calvary overseas!

Calvary, Dark, Hundreds, Uncles, War, Wwi

War like any other racket, pays high dividends to the very few. The cost of operations is always transferred to the people who do not profit.

Cost, High, Pays, People, War

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

Boys, Brother, Brown, China, Interests, Wall

Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few - the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.

Additional, Bill, Blood, Dollars, Victorious, War

I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General.

Corps, Country, Marine, Military, Service

War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious.

Easily, Peace, Racket, Vicious, War

Only those who would be called upon to risk their lives for their country should have the privilege of voting to determine whether the nation should go to war.

Country, Determine, Nation, Should Have, War

I served in all commissioned ranks from second lieutenant to major general. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for big business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

General, Marine, Men, Muscle, Period, Wall

There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights.

Bill, Fight, Home, Homes, Peace, War

The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

America, Dollars, Follow, Restless, Soldier, Soldiers

. . . The war (WWI) cost your Uncle Sam $52 billion. $39 billion was expended in the actual war period. This expenditure yielded $16 billion in profits.

Billion, Dark, Expended, Uncles, War, Yielded

No one told these American soldiers they might be shot down by bullets made by their own brothers here. No one told them that the ships on which they were going to cross might be torpedoed by submarines built with US patents.

Brother, Built, Dark, Patents, Shot, Soldier

We must take the profit out of war.

Profit, Racket, Take, War

War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

Believe, Group, Knows, People, War

I selected an enormous Marine Corps emblem to be tattooed across my chest. It required several sittings and hurt me like the devil, but the finished product was worth the pain. I blazed triumphantly forth, a Marine from throat to waist. The emblem is still with me. Nothing on earth but skinning will remove it.

Corps, Forth, Hurt, Marine, Pain, Selected

1