Foch the Man Quotes

“Force that is not dominated by spirit is vain force. Victory, in his belief, goes to those who merit it by the greatest strength of will and intelligence. It was his endeavor, always, to develop in the hundreds of officers who were his students, that dual strength in which it seemed to him that victory could only lie: moral and intellectual ability to perceive what ought to be done, and intellectual and moral ability to do it. In his mind, it is impossible to be intelligent with the brain alone. The Germans do not comprehend this, and therein, to Ferdinand Foch, lies the key to all their failures. He believes that each of us must think with our soul's aid—that is to say, with our imagination, our emotions, our aspiration—and employ our intelligence to direct our feeling. And he asks this combination not from higher officers alone, but from all their men down to the humblest in the ranks.”
― Clara E. Laughlin, Foch the Man A Life of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies

“Foch made the men who sat under him love their work for the work's sake and not for its rewards. He fired them with an ardor for military art which made them feel that in all the world there is nothing so fascinating, so worth while, as knowing how to defend one's country when she needs defense. He was able, in peace times when the military spirit was little applauded and much decried, to give his students an enthusiasm for "preparedness" which flamed as high and burned as pure as that which ordinarily is lighted only by a great national rush to arms to save the country from ravage.”
― Clara E. Laughlin, Foch the Man A Life of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies

“Almost his entire comprehension of war is based upon men and the way they act under certain stress—not the way they might be expected to act, but the way they actually do act, and the way they can be led to act under certain stimulus of soul. For Ferdinand Foch wins victories with men's souls—not just with their flesh and blood, nor even with their brains. And to command men's souls it is necessary to understand them.”
― Clara E. Laughlin, Foch the Man A Life of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies

“Development," mind you—not just "advancement." For Foch is, and ever has been, the kind of man who would most abhor being advanced faster than he developed. He would infinitely rather be prepared for a promotion and fail to get it than get a promotion for which he was not thoroughly prepared. Nor is he the sort of individual who can comfortably deceive himself about his fitness. He sustains himself by no illusions of the variety: "If I had so-and-so to do, I'd probably get through as well as nine-tenths”
― Clara E. Laughlin, Foch the Man A Life of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Armies