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Who really said it

I shall return

Spoken by Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964 · American general
Verified In copyright

MacArthur spoke it to reporters at Terowie, South Australia, on 20 March 1942, after his escape from the Philippines. The Advertiser (Adelaide) printed his statement on its front page the next day, ending: “I came through and I shall return.” A scan of that page confirms the wording.

Last verified 3 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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Verified quote & credit

“I shall return” Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Terowie, South Australia, 20 March 1942; printed in The Advertiser (Adelaide), 21 March 1942, p. 1. · Verbatim: “The President of the United States ordered me to break through the Japanese lines and proceed from Corregidor to Australia for the purpose, as I understand it, of organising an American offensive against Japan, the primary purpose of which is the relief of the Philippines. I came through and I shall return.”

Can you use it?

Still under copyright (rights held by Estate of Douglas MacArthur). A short, credited quote is generally fine for talks, teaching, and internal decks; for commercial, published, or large-scale reuse, get permission.

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In context

Evoking the world of Douglas MacArthur — American general, Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area. Theme: "I shall return". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

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Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "I shall return". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The documented source

Published in
The Advertiser (Adelaide), front page: “I Came Through; I Shall Return”
Date
21 March 1942, p. 1 (spoken at Terowie, 20 March 1942)
Place
Terowie, South Australia, at a change of trains
Form
Spoken statement to the press, printed in full

“The President of the United States ordered me to break through the Japanese lines and proceed from Corregidor to Australia for the purpose, as I understand it, of organising an American offensive against Japan, the primary purpose of which is the relief of the Philippines. I came through and I shall return.” Full statement

As printed in The Advertiser (Adelaide), 21 March 1942, p. 1, with the paper’s spelling “organising.” The paper adds that MacArthur first asked whether his message would reach the United States.

Scan of The Advertiser, 21 March 1942, p. 1 (Wikimedia Commons)

How we traced it

  • The printed record. The Advertiser (Adelaide) ran the statement on its front page under the headline “I Came Through; I Shall Return” (page scan on Wikimedia Commons ↗).
  • Place and date. Wikipedia places the statement at Terowie, South Australia, on 20 March 1942, cites the same Advertiser page, and notes it is often misquoted as “I came out of Bataan and I shall return” (Wikipedia ↗).
  • Wikiquote. MacArthur’s Wikiquote page lists the line as “I came out of Bataan and I shall return!” (Terowie, 20 March 1942) and flags it as needing a specific citation (Wikiquote ↗). The 1942 newspaper text reads “I came through.”
  • The promise kept. The FDR Presidential Library’s blog quotes “I came through and I shall return” and describes the Leyte landing of 20 October 1944, where his speech opened “People of the Philippines: I have returned” (National Archives FDR blog ↗).
In copyright

The words were first published on 21 March 1942 in The Advertiser (Adelaide). That is after the 1931 cutoff, so quotle.info conservatively treats the statement as in copyright, held by MacArthur’s estate. This holds even though Wikimedia Commons marks its scan of the newspaper page as public domain. Quoting a short line for commentary is ordinary fair use.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

Fact-check

The versions that get passed around

No one else is credited with the line. MacArthur really said it. The trouble is the wording that gets attached to it.

“I came out of Bataan and I shall return!” Misquote

This is the most common reworded version, and Wikiquote lists it with a citation-needed flag. Wikipedia calls it a frequent misquotation. The 1942 newspaper text says “I came through,” and MacArthur’s statement describes leaving from Corregidor (Wikipedia ↗).

“We shall return” Proposed, refused

Wikipedia says the Filipino journalist Carlos Romulo first suggested “We shall return,” and that the Office of War Information later proposed the plural. MacArthur refused to change it (Wikipedia ↗). The FDR Library blog says the White House asked for the change and he refused (FDR blog ↗).

“I have returned” Different speech

People sometimes mix up the two lines. “I have returned” is a different statement, made on Leyte on 20 October 1944, more than two years after Terowie (History.com ↗).

The documented wording is “I came through and I shall return,” spoken at Terowie and printed in The Advertiser (Adelaide) on 21 March 1942 (page scan ↗).

Context

Why it mattered

MacArthur had been ordered off Corregidor while American and Filipino troops were still fighting on Bataan. When he reached Terowie he had already been in Australia for several days. The Advertiser reported that this was his first interview with the press, and that he first asked whether his message would reach the United States.

He turned the closing clause into a personal pledge to the Philippines. He kept it on 20 October 1944, when he landed on Leyte and told the Filipino people by radio, “I have returned.”

I came through and I shall return.

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Resilience Hope Courage

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Scan of The Advertiser, 21 March 1942, p. 1commons.wikimedia.org

The front page that printed MacArthur's full Terowie statement (Trove article 48749454).
Douglas MacArthur's escape from the Philippinesen.wikipedia.org

Covers the escape, the Terowie statement, the "Bataan" misquote and the "We shall return" episode, with sources.
Douglas MacArthur on Wikiquoteen.wikiquote.org

Lists the line as "I came out of Bataan…" with a citation-needed flag, plus "I have returned" (1944).
"I Have Returned!" – General MacArthur and FDRfdr.blogs.archives.gov

National Archives FDR Library blog on the pledge, the request to make it "We," and the Leyte return.
MacArthur returns to the Philippineshistory.com

The 20 October 1944 Leyte landing and the "I have returned" broadcast.

The author

About Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur

1880–1964 · American general, Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area

Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 – 5 April 1964) was an American general. He served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, as Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific Area in the Second World War, and later led the occupation of Japan and the UN Command in Korea. In March 1942 he was ordered out of the Philippines to Australia. He promised to come back, and he did so in October 1944, when he landed on Leyte.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Primary source

“I Came Through; I Shall Return.” The Advertiser (Adelaide), 21 March 1942, 1. Statement by Gen. Douglas MacArthur at Terowie, South Australia, 20 March 1942.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘I shall return’?” Last verified 3 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/i-shall-return/

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