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About this quote

What does it mean?
The goal of war is decisive victory, not prolonged stalemate.
In plain terms
Win decisively in war; there is no other acceptable result.
What can you take from it?
Strive for clear and decisive outcomes in conflict.

Where it applies

  • military operations
  • negotiations
  • competitive business

Putting it to work

  • define clear objectives
  • prioritize execution

Questions to consider

  • What defines success in your current conflict?
  • How do you measure a clear outcome?

Another view

It discounts the value of negotiation or limited goals in modern contexts.

More from Douglas MacArthur

  1. We could hold in Korea by constant maneuver and in an approximate area where our supply line advantages were in balance with the supply line disadvantages of t…

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  2. There are some who, for varying reasons, would appease Red China. They are blind to history's clear lesson, for history teaches with unmistakable emphasis that…

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  3. While no man in his right mind would advocate sending our ground forces into continental China, and such was never given a thought, the new situation did urgen…

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