London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

Words of Wisdom

“Men are basically 1) smart or dumb and 2) lazy or ambitious. The dumb and ambitious ones are dangerous and I get rid of them. The dumb and lazy ones I give mundane duties. The smart ambitious ones I put on my staff. The smart and lazy ones I make my commanders.”

— Field Marshal Erwin Rommel

I’d like to thank Field Marshal Rommel for vindicating my life.

UPDATE: This is actually a misquotation of Gen. Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord. See here for the correct version.
Published at 6:09 pm on Wednesday 3 May 2006. Categories: Germany Military Quotations.
Comments

Andrew, You are not lazy. You simply took on, and completed, the toughest task you were facing this school year in the first, rather than the second, semester.

— Fiendish 4 May 2006 10:42 am

Ah, but good sir you confuse laziness and procrastination. I did not procrastinate with my dissertation because I knew that, being lazy, there was no way I would be able to complete the work during the Candlemas term which has finer weather, and bright sunny days towards the end (now).

— Andrew Cusack 4 May 2006 11:31 am

Does this mean you will be
joining the Army or Air Force?
For a “Rommel” to make you a Commander you need to start at the bottom and work your way up. You are right it will give you 3 squares and a place to rest your head. However you are looking at a 20 yr streach befor you put CDR after your name. Then you get the chance to make everyone elses decisions for them, good, bad or otherwise.
Good luck, looking forward to your 1st promotion.

The Col.

— Matthew Cusack 4 May 2006 1:54 pm

Why can’t you press yourself into service fetching Mr. Panero’s coffee again? He did extend a very kind offer which I still have in writing. If he were to back out of that offer, it might disqualify him for the wearing of the seersucker. Now we can’t have that can we?

— Mrs. Peperium 4 May 2006 5:06 pm

Have you considered the Swiss Guard? It seems to me that you’d be perfect for prowling around the Vatican wearing one of those orange and blue striped outfits and sneaking gulps of gin from a flask.

Let me know if I should put in a good word.

— Card 4 May 2006 5:10 pm

Andrew, you’re Swiss? A member of the Swiss Guard is a marvelous job plus the apartments at the Vatcian are lovely roof top garden apartments. The only drawback is it’s a short service – 4 years.

— Mrs. Peperium 4 May 2006 7:13 pm

I am, of course, not Swiss and thus I’m ineligible for the Swiss Guard. I’d happily join the Army if I could be stationed on Governors Island, but it appears those days are gone for good. (It would be a dream come true were the Island to be put back to its proper use). Perhaps Fort Leavenworth then, where the MWR sponsors a proper fox hunt:

http://www.fortleavenworthmwr.com/fox_hunt.htm

http://www.fortleavenworthhunt.org/

— Andrew Cusack 5 May 2006 3:48 am
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