Welcome to our collection of Marine Corps quotes, where the timeless wisdom, courage, and dedication of the United States Marine Corps are celebrated through powerful words. The Marine Corps is renowned for its indomitable spirit, forged through centuries of unwavering commitment to honor, duty, and service. From the hallowed halls of military history to the battlefield, Marines have left an indelible mark on the world, embodying the ethos of Semper Fidelis Always Faithful.
These quotes encapsulate the essence of the Marine Corps ethos, offering insight into the mindset of those who have served and continue to serve. Whether it’s words of motivation, resilience, or camaraderie, each quote reflects the core values that define the Marine Corps. As you delve into this compilation, you’ll find inspiration, pride, and a deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by Marines past and present. So, prepare to be inspired, motivated, and moved by the profound words of those who have walked the hallowed grounds of the few and the proud.
When you get out of the Marine Corps, you feel like you can do anything. Adam Driver
The POW camps of North Vietnam were packed with Air Force and Naval Academy graduates. The six midshipmen in my Naval Academy class of 1968 who served as liaisons between the Marine Corps and the Brigade of Midshipmen later suffered nine Purple Hearts in Vietnam, and one man killed in action. Jim Webb
My definition, the definition that I’ve always believed in, is that esprit de corps means love for one’s own military legion – in my case, the United States Marine Corps. It means more than self-preservation, religion, or patriotism. I’ve also learned that this loyalty to one’s corps travels both ways: up and down. Chesty Puller
I’m probably more comfortable inside a Marine Corps rifle company than I am anywhere in my life. Jim Webb
When I was 10, I had a paper route. One year, I delivered my papers through a hurricane. My mother was against the idea, but my dad, who was a sergeant in the Marine Corps, overruled her. I was determined to deliver my papers. Tim Finchem
I am a Marine Corps veteran, but more importantly – or as important maybe – I’m the chairman of the Oversight Investigation Subcommittee and the House Veterans Affair Committee. Mike Coffman
I think some of my best theatre training has been in the Marine Corps. Not only meeting a bunch of characters, but growing up. You’re in really adult situations at a young age, as far as being in charge of people. Adam Driver
After my time in the Marine Corps with ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ I didn’t want to hide any more. Liz Carmouche
I got a bad conduct discharge, was at home for a few months in late ’99, and basically said, ‘Dad, I want to give wrestling a shot. I sure as hell don’t wanna go to college, and the Marine Corps wasn’t for me. And I need to make some money, so let’s see if I can do it.’ Randy Orton
Without discipline, there is no Marine Corps. R. Lee Ermey
I love my country more than anything. I spent 12 years in the United States Marine Corps. I know what it means to defend this country. Scott Ritter
We think of the Marine Corps as a military outfit, and of course it is, but for me, the U.S. Marine Corps was a four-year crash course in character education. It taught me how to make a bed, how to do laundry, how to wake up early, how to manage my finances. These are things my community didn’t teach me. J. D. Vance
The highly skilled workers at Lima have enabled the plant to grow far beyond its original mission, now providing a wide variety of cutting-edge military vehicles and equipment to the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Michael Oxley
I grew up in Boston in a very, very, very Marine town. So back in my neighborhood in Boston, a working-class neighborhood, when you got your draft notice, you went down, and you took your draft physical. And then, if you passed it, you joined the Marine Corps. John F. Kelly
At Juilliard, suddenly I was reading these great plays that could articulate the ways I was feeling in the Marine Corps, and that felt very therapeutic, by putting words to feelings, in a big way. Adam Driver
Men do not fight for flag or country, for the Marine Corps or glory or any other abstraction. They fight for one another. And if you came through this ordeal, you would age with dignity. William Manchester
Being in the Marine Corps and doing the job I did, there is a lot of risk involved. It made me comfortable with risk. Dakota Meyer
I follow the teachings of Major General Smedley Darlington Butler, United States Marine Corps. He won two Congressional Medals of Honor, and he wrote the highly controversial antiwar book ‘War is a Racket.’ Jesse Ventura
I’m not scared of very much. I’ve been hit by lightning and been in the Marine Corps for four years. Lee Trevino
From the time I left the Marine Corps after serving as an infantry platoon and company commander in Vietnam, I decided that I would focus on immediate goals that inspired me to devote all of my energy to them, rather than putting together the more cautious and traditional building blocks of a predictable career. Jim Webb
Just being in the military, you’re so violent. We got into fights about just random things all the time. I don’t think as aggressively as I did when I was in the Marine Corps. Adam Driver
During my 20 years as a Marine, I served three combat tours and as a Congressional Fellow advising a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee on defense and foreign policy. I went on to serve in the Pentagon as Marine Corps’ liaison to the State Department. Amy McGrath
I was having an argument with my stepfather, and he was like, ‘Why don’t you join the Marine Corps?’ And I was like, ‘Noooo! Well, maybe, actually… ‘ I went and saw the recruiter, who was like, ‘Are you on the run from the cops? Because we’ve never had someone want to leave so fast.’ Adam Driver
The Marine Corps taught me how to kill, but it didn’t teach me how to deal with killing. Karl Marlantes
In the Marine Corps, you meet this really broad segment of the country; you’re working with people from all kinds of backgrounds. And it exposes you to the American military, particularly the American military at war. Phil Klay
The Marine Corps was the first father figure I had ever known. Art Buchwald
When I was sworn in the Marine Corps in 1964, when I was sworn into Congress, I swore to uphold the Constitution against enemies, both foreign and domestic. We have a lot of domestic enemies of – of the Constitution, those who want to pervert it, those who want to change it. Paul Broun
The military and the Marine Corps prepared me to be numb to the stress. Lacey Evans
The Marine Corps is some of the best acting training you could have. Having that responsibility for people’s lives, suddenly time becomes a really valuable commodity and you want to make the most of it. And for acting, you just have to do the work, just keep doing it. Adam Driver
Just take yourself back to September 2001. As that month went on, and as that autumn unrolled, everybody wanted to do something. How can I help? Do you want my blood? Do you want money for the victims? I was a captain in the Marine Corps. I knew what I could do. I was right there. I was ready. I saw it. I moved the rubble with my own hands. Rob Riggle
The Marine Corps has to ask itself, ‘What does our nation need from its premier crisis response force?’ We are America’s shock troops in war and peace. I know it sounds corny, but it’s not. James F. Amos
The Marine Corps is supposed to be the toughest and most rigorous of its class. Adam Driver
One of the first things I learned in the Marine Corps is that any military mission has to be defined as precisely as you can possibly define it, and then you size the force and equipment force to accomplish that mission without fail. John Glenn
In the Marine Corps there is no individual effort, we’re all a big team. Kyle Carpenter
The Army was always big on Clausewitz, the Prussian; the Navy on Alfred Thayer Mahan, the American; and the Air Force on Giulio Douhet, the Italian. But the Marine Corps has always been more Eastern-oriented. I am much more comfortable with Sun-tzu and his approach to warfare. Jim Mattis
I have drawn inspiration from the Marine Corps, the Jewish struggle in Palestine and Israel, and the Irish. Leon Uris
When I joined the Marine Corps, you have to do a vocational test to get in, and I took the test, they were like, ‘You did great. You can do anything you want to do.’ I said, ‘OK, I want to do this.’ ‘Except for that because you’re a woman.’ Liz Carmouche
I resigned from the Marine Corps and flying in 1974, even though I loved them both. I quit because I no longer wanted to fight for peace. Instead, I believe we can build a more sustainable peace by working for prosperity. Robert Kiyosaki
Everything in my life I owe to God, my family, the Naval Academy, and the Marine Corps. Todd Young
If I come in, and you’re an employer, and I say, ‘Well, I was a sniper in the Marine Corps. Do you have any sniper positions open?’ ‘No.’ But if I told you that I was good at communication, good at leadership under stressful environments, team management, personnel management, leadership, being prompt, are stuff that I can bring to the table. Dakota Meyer
I spent so much time in the closet in the Marine Corps and I wasn’t going to hide who I was. If it meant I was going to lose out on opportunities, they weren’t meant to be. Liz Carmouche
I have endless admiration for people like Chrissie Hynde who’ve been out as the only girl in a band. I’m not sure that, even as a little Marine Corps brat, I would’ve been able to deal with that. Nancy Wilson
One day, you’ll get out of the Marine Corps; you’ll put your uniform up, but you’ll never not be a Marine. John F. Kelly
So the Marine Corps really did teach me to conquer fear, and then to go for higher causes, higher purposes. Robert Kiyosaki
I think a great idea would be involving our various military services along the border all the way from San Diego to Houston. We’ve got military bases all over the country. We can just move some people down there and let those cartels who are doing a lot of hurt to the youth of America, let those cartels fight against the Marine Corps. Bobby Knight
I have been writing for 50 years and readers still read my first book from when I was in the Marine Corps. Leon Uris
My job was to make sure the base entrances were secure, that people entering were scanned and cleared, and that people within the bases were safe and abiding by the rules set forth by the Marine Corps. Lacey Evans
I was in the Marine Corps in 1971. The idea ‘Where does authority come from?’ is fascinating to me. And also, the idea of a chaplain is fascinating to me because it’s a man of the cloth in uniform, and it’s the uniform of a killing machine. Back when I was in the Corps, when I saw that, I was amazed by it. John Patrick Shanley
I liked the military life. They teach you self-sufficiency early on. I always say that I learned most of what I know about leadership in the Marine Corps. Certain basic principles stay with you – sometimes consciously, mostly unconsciously. Raymond Kelly
Whatever the job is, we can do it. That’s why the nation has a Marine Corps. James F. Amos
My grandpa was a World War II paratrooper, my uncle a Vietnam Purple Heart recipient, my cousins both Marine Corps officers. I have some very close Navy SEAL connections as well. Tomi Lahren
Emphasis in the Marine Corps isn’t on talking about your feelings. Adam Driver
You have to be forward-moving and able to balance a lot of things at the same time. I attribute a lot of that to the Marine Corps and Juilliard both. Adam Driver
Well, you sort of get out of the pool room, you get out of the Marine Corps, you get out and read some literature, you become involved with people who also want to know and are ready to share some ideas about literature and thoughts, and it becomes nourished that way. Harvey Keitel
I served two tours in Iraq, in the Marine Corps. Josh Mandel
We have a saying in the Marine Corps and that is ‘no better friend, no worse enemy, than a U.S. Marine.’ We always hope for the first, friendship, but are certainly more than ready for the second. John F. Kelly
In the Marine Corps, I was used to people doing what they said and saying what they mean. There was a higher purpose and calling in the Corps. Everyone works toward accomplishing something together, and there’s a common goal. In entertainment, the same isn’t always true. You’re in it for yourself in Hollywood. Rob Riggle
I loved being in the Marine Corps, I loved my job in the Marine Corps, and I loved the people I served with. It’s one of the best things I’ve had a chance to do. Adam Driver
The young people I work with every day and serve the nation in the armed forces in general, and the Marine Corps in particular, have broken the mold and stepped out as men and women of character who are making their own way in life while protecting ours. John F. Kelly
My brother was a captain in the Marine Corps and a very big hero in my life. Peter Cullen
The Marine Corps has been, and will continue to be, America’s Expeditionary Force in Readiness – ready to respond to today’s crisis, with today’s Marine forces, today. James F. Amos
Our mom was a super strident, capable, and strong individual. I think because she was a military wife in the Marine Corps, she had to push back the things that she believed, and she had to really scrape and fight to have her space. Nancy Wilson
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. Smedley Butler
The Marine Corps is the Navy’s police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin’s. Harry S Truman
The male role models I had all seemed to have been in the military. My father served in the army. My uncle was in the Marine Corps. Both of my grandfathers served in WWII. There weren’t any career soldiers in my family, but when I was young it seemed like a way of arriving at adulthood. Kevin Powers
One of the things I learned at the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps is we have to make tough decisions. Todd Young
The United States has been fighting African pirates since the early days of the republic – battles so formative that, among other things, they established a long-standing pattern of dealing with foreign policy problems through armed interventions and also inspired the iconic phrase ‘the shores of Tripoli’ in the Marine Corps hymn. Nick Turse
I wouldn’t want to go back over my life. I’ve done it all. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the Marine Corps. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the war. I wouldn’t have missed college. Or playin’ for the Colts. I got all the money I need. Five children. I got a truck. I have no regrets whatsoever. Art Donovan
I fought as an infantry Marine on one of the Vietnam War’s harshest battlefields. After leaving the Marine Corps, I studied law and found a fulfilling career as an author and journalist. But again and again, I came back to the personal fulfillment that can only come from public service. Jim Webb
I was going to be a Marine before I was going to be an actor. I was really serious about joining the Marine Corps. Steve Zahn
In the Marine Corps, your buddy is not only your classmate or fellow officer, but he is also the Marine under your command. If you don’t prepare yourself to properly train him, lead him, and support him on the battlefield, then you’re going to let him down. That is unforgivable in the Marine Corps. Chesty Puller
Something I learned in the Marine Corps that I’ve applied to acting is, one, taking direction, and then working with a group of people to accomplish a mission and knowing your role within that team. Adam Driver
Clay Hunt was the kind of individual that has made America a great country. In 2005, when his country needed him, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Shot in Iraq, he earned a Purple Heart, and after he recuperated, he graduated from Marine Corps Scout Sniper School and was deployed to Afghanistan. John Delaney
In the Marine Corps, we’re taught to put America above ourselves. Todd Young
In 2007, I was given the humbling privilege of being made an honorary member of the United States Marine Corps in recognition of my visits to troops during the Iraq War. Chuck Norris
My first direct encounter with the military was when I joined ROTC as a graduate student, although my father, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, can trace the military service in our family all the way back to the Revolutionary War. Tammy Duckworth
There’s a mindset of flexibility and adaptability that comes with us. We don’t mind hardship. We don’t mind somebody saying, ‘Go in and do this nasty job.’ Whatever the job is, we can do it. That’s why the nation has a Marine Corps. James F. Amos
My dad was a golden gloves boxer in the Marine Corps, then a deputy sheriff. My mom worked as an office assistant. Susana Martinez
I never thought anyone would pity me because of my time in the Marine Corps. Phil Klay
In the Gulf War, U.S. Marine Corps wheeled vehicles were killing Iraqi T-72 tanks. Ralph Peters
When I got out of the Marine Corps, I didn’t have much guidance. Dakota Meyer
In the Marine Corps, everything had a purpose. Adam Driver
For me, leaving the Marine Corps was more disorienting than returning home. Phil Klay
We also very importantly recommend continued growth in the Army and the Marine Corps end strength. John M. McHugh
I’m a conservative because I believe in peace – real peace, not just the peace of mind. I’m a conservative because we understand that real peace comes from the Marine Corps, not the Peace Corps. Allen West
Intelligence work in the Marine Corps proved to me the strategic value in establishing a Central Command to act as a clearinghouse for disparate bits and floating bytes of information. Todd Young
Spread the gospel that the Marine Corps is a force that has changed. We’re not in 1942 anymore. James F. Amos
I always equate wrestling to having been in the Marine Corps. William Baldwin
My four years in the Marine Corps left me with an indelible understanding of the value of leadership skills. Frederick W. Smith
I do not believe I could have built FedEx without the skills I learned from the Marine Corps. Frederick W. Smith
When I came back, I tried to live independently. In the Marine Corps, we’re taught as a team, so why would you think you’re going to get out of the military and live independently and not rely on your support system around you? Dakota Meyer
I went straight from the Marine Corps to the MFA. The way that you would express things among Marines is somewhat different than the way you’re supposed to express things in a creative-writing workshop. Phil Klay
I am a retired United States Marine Corporal and I started out in 2nd Battalion Night Marines on my deployment and I finished my career in the Marine Corps at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as a patient. Kyle Carpenter
