Summary and Key Points: “Nobody ever defended anything successfully; there is only attack and attack and attack some more.” The line is attached to George S. Patton everywhere, and the best evidence for it is not a document but a morning in December 1944. The German offensive in the Ardennes had opened on the 16th, striking the First Army while Patton’s Third Army was still fighting hard around Saarbrücken, well to the south. At a conference of senior commanders at Verdun on the 19th, with Eisenhower in the room, Patton said he could disengage, pivot his army ninety degrees north, and attack the southern shoulder of the Bulge within 48 hours. The room did not believe him. He did it, and the Third Army broke through to the 101st Airborne at Bastogne.
Patton Was Always on the Attack
Military quote of the day: “Nobody ever defended anything successfully; there is only attack and attack and attack some more.” – Gen. George Patton
General George Patton was legendary for his aggression, which Hollywood later immortalized.
According to a History Channel biography, the West Point-educated Patton led cavalry troops against Mexico and later served in the U.S. Army Tank Corps during World War I.
But World War II was the true source of Patton’s legend.
“He led the U.S. 7th Army in its invasion of Sicily and swept across northern France at the head of the 3rd Army in the summer of 1944,” the History Channel biography says. “Late that same year, Patton’s forces played a key role in defeating the German counterattack in the Battle of the Bulge.”
The battle was fought in Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Ardennes, and Patton, who died in December of 1945, not long after the end of the war, asked to be buried, among 5,000 other dead, at Luxembourg American Cemetery.
He’s the only four-star general buried at an American Battle Monuments Commission cemetery.
Portrait of Army General Patton. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
George S. Patton Quote of the Day. Creative Commons Image.
General George Patton of the U.S. Army. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Patton’s Big Battle
According to the American Battle Monuments Commission account, the Battle of the Bulge lasted six weeks, from mid-December 1944 to late January 1945.
As commander of the Third Army, Patton’s men were south of the German attack on the First Army in the Ardennes.
“When the assault began on December 16th, Third Army was still engaged in heavy fighting around Saarbrücken, Germany,” the account said.
“Patton quickly issued contingency orders to begin preparation to disengage and pivot north for offensive operations against the southern shoulder of the Bulge. At a conference with Eisenhower and other senior generals on the 19th, Patton shocked the room by announcing that he could begin his counterattack within 48 hours.”
He did, and the Third Army broke through and made contact with the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne.
“For another month they hammered away at the bulge, until it was no more,” the New York Times obituary of Patton said.
On the Friends of the National World War II Memorial website, Alex Kershaw praised the general and his leadership during that battle, while recalling a visit to the general’s grave in Luxembourg.
Patton’s well-known custom ivory-handled revolver.
“To my mind, he was the most aggressive and certainly the most charismatic and fascinating American general of WWII. Having written about him in several books, and having visited battlefields where he had at times brilliantly led hundreds of thousands of Americans in combat, I knew that his finest hours came during the Battle of the Bulge.”
The Quote
The quote, “Nobody ever defended anything successfully; there is only attack and attack and attack some more,” has often been attributed to General Patton. Another version of the quote is “We shall attack and attack until we are exhausted, and then we shall attack again.”
The latter version is referenced in the New York Times obituary after Patton died in 1945, and is placed before Patton’s initial landings in North Africa during World War II.
The sourcing of the first quote, the part with “nobody ever defended anything successfully,” is somewhat less solid, as it’s never been associated with any specific speech at a particular date or location, or any of Patton’s writings.
Often-shared quotes by Patton are sometimes either not genuine or not solidly attributable. Nonetheless, Patton clearly lived the words that might have been inspired by his actions.
Patton’s speeches were often delivered to his men and not necessarily written down, while real things he said were sometimes conflated and confused with the version from the movie version of Patton.
The quote, real or not, had been applied in surprising ways.
Journalist Hamilton cited Patton in a February 2026 blog post, in reference to gains made by the American labor movement. Michael Peck cited the quote in August 2025, about whether the U.S. should retreat from the Pacific.
Football coach Dennard Wilson, after he was named defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans in 2014, shared the “You’re going to attack and attack some more” quote and attributed it to Patton, while promising the NFL team was “going to be an attacking defense; we’re going to be violent in our approach.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
