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Who really said it

May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I sure as hell won't

Not George S. Patton’s wording — a paraphrase of his 1940 line George S. Patton 1885–1945 · U.S. Army general
Disputed In copyright

The popular line has no known source. What Patton actually said was “may God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it.” He closed a lecture to his officers at Fort Benning with it in September 1940, and the line is printed in Martin Blumenson’s The Patton Papers, 1940–1945 (1974). His line is a boast that the enemy will need God’s mercy. The “because I sure as hell won’t” ending was added later and is not in that text.

Last verified 2 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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Disputed — copy with the correction

“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I sure as hell won't” Not George S. Patton's wording. His documented line, from a lecture to officers at Fort Benning in September 1940, is "may God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it" (Martin Blumenson, The Patton Papers, 1940–1945, 1974). No source is known for the "because I sure as hell won't" version.

Can you use it?

Still under copyright (rights held by Martin Blumenson (© 1974) and his estate; Houghton Mifflin (first edition) and Da Capo Press (1996 reprint)). 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 George S. Patton — U.S. Army general. Theme: "May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I sure as hell won't". 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 "May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I sure as hell won't". 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

What Patton actually said

Work
The Patton Papers, 1940–1945
Editor & narrator
Martin Blumenson
First published
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974 (volume 2 of The Patton Papers); unabridged Da Capo Press reprint, 1996
Occasion
Patton’s first formal lecture to his officers, early September 1940 (Chapter 1, “Fort Benning: Brigade”)

This quotation expresses very exactly the goal we are seeking in this division. I know that we shall attain it and when we do, may God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it. Fort Benning, September 1940

Patton ended his lecture on the German campaign in Poland with this line. Just before it, he recalls Caesar training his legions so well that “it was not necessary to give them orders.” Blumenson also uses “May God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it” as the title of Part I of the book.

The Patton Papers, 1940–1945 (Martin Blumenson), publisher's page

How the line was traced

  • On Wikiquote’s Patton talk page ↗, the popular line sits in the Unsourced list. An editor’s note there gives the genuine form, “May God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it,” and points to Blumenson’s The Patton Papers 1940–1945. The note dates that book 1972, but the volume’s own copyright page says it was first published in 1974.
  • The main Wikiquote page for George S. Patton ↗ does not include the “I sure as hell won’t” line in any of its sections.
  • In Blumenson’s The Patton Papers, 1940–1945 ↗, Chapter 1 quotes Patton’s September 1940 lecture to the officers at Fort Benning. It ends: “may God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it.”
  • The “mercy … for I will have none” formula is much older. American Heritage (October 1993) ↗ quotes Union general Joseph Hooker: “May God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none.”
In copyright

No source has been found for the popular “I sure as hell won’t” wording. Patton’s genuine sentence comes to readers through Martin Blumenson’s The Patton Papers, 1940–1945, first published in 1974 (“Copyright © 1974 by Martin Blumenson”). That is after the 1931 cutoff, so the book is in copyright in the U.S. We have not separately established the status of Patton’s 1940 lecture manuscript.

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

Where the popular version goes wrong

The popular version keeps Patton’s opening, “May God have mercy on … enemies.” It then adds a personal refusal of mercy that Patton’s documented line does not contain.

Quote sites and social media, credited to Patton Unsourced

Aggregators repeat the line without a citation. Quotewise ↗, for example, lists “May God have mercy for my enemies because I won’t.” under Patton and shows no source. Wikiquote put the popular wording in the Unsourced list on its Patton talk page ↗.

Joseph Hooker, Union general in the U.S. Civil War Older parallel

American Heritage ↗ quotes Hooker saying “May God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none.” HistoryNet ↗ also says Hooker “reportedly” said it. The Wikiquote talk-page note adds that Ken Burns’ The Civil War credits the line to Hooker. Hooker’s words have the same shape as the popular “Patton” ending, but no source we found shows that the Patton version was borrowed from him.

Patton’s documented words are “may God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it,” from his September 1940 lecture to officers at Fort Benning. They are printed in Martin Blumenson’s The Patton Papers, 1940–1945 ↗ (1974).

Context

Why the difference matters

The two versions say different things. In 1940, the United States was not yet at war and Patton was helping to build an armored division almost from nothing. His line was a promise about training: once the division reached the standard he described, any enemy facing it would need God’s mercy. It shows confidence in his men, not a pledge to be merciless.

The modern version makes the line about Patton himself refusing mercy, and that fits the “Old Blood and Guts” image better than the original does. Its refusal clause matches a much older boast credited to Civil War general Joseph Hooker. This is a common way misquotes form: a real line by a famous person is sharpened into a punchier one.

“…may God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it.”

Explore

Filed under

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

Courage Power

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.

Talk:George S. Patton (Unsourced list)en.wikiquote.org

Wikiquote lists the popular line as unsourced and gives the genuine Blumenson wording.
George S. Patton quotesen.wikiquote.org

Wikiquote's sourced, disputed and misattributed Patton quotes. The 'sure as hell' line is not among them.
The Patton Papers, 1940–1945hachettebookgroup.com

Publisher's record for Martin Blumenson's edition, the book that prints Patton's 1940 line.
The Destruction of Fighting Joe Hookeramericanheritage.com

Gene Smith, American Heritage, October 1993. Quotes Hooker: 'May God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none.'
George S. Pattonen.wikipedia.org

Biography: his 2nd Armored Division service in 1940–41 and his wartime commands.

The author

About George S. Patton

George S. Patton

1885–1945 · U.S. Army general

George Smith Patton Jr. was a U.S. Army general. In World War II he commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the 1944 Normandy invasion. In 1940 he was at Fort Benning, Georgia, helping train the new 2d Armored Division. That is where he gave the lecture behind this quote. His blunt, profane manner makes him one of the internet’s favorite names to pin tough-sounding lines on.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Earliest documented genuine form

George S. Patton, lecture to officers, Fort Benning, early September 1940, in Martin Blumenson, The Patton Papers, 1940–1945 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974), chap. 1, “Fort Benning: Brigade”; reprinted Da Capo Press, 1996. Genuine wording: “may God have mercy on our enemies; they will need it.” No source is known for the popular wording.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I sure as hell won't’?” Last verified 2 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/may-god-have-mercy-upon-my-enemies-because-i-sure-as-hell/

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