Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!
Not George S. Patton — a line from the 1970 filmFrancis Ford Coppola & Edmund H. North (screenplay)Credited screenwriters of Patton (1970); spoken on screen by George C. Scott
The line is dialogue from the 1970 film Patton, written for George C. Scott’s portrayal of the general in the film’s El Guettar battle scene. Wikiquote lists it among quotes misattributed to Patton ↗. No record shows the real Patton saying it, and the scene could not have happened as filmed.
“Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!” spoken by George C. Scott as Patton in the 1970 film Patton (screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North); not a documented quotation of George S. Patton. Via Quotle.info
⚠ The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to George S. Patton. Use the credit shown above instead.
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In context
Evoking the world of Francis Ford Coppola & Edmund H. North — Patton (1970, 20th Century-Fox). Theme: "Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!". 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.
Minimalist
Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!". 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
Where the line actually comes from
Work
Patton (feature film)
Released
1970, by 20th Century-Fox
Screenplay
Francis Ford Coppola & Edmund H. North
Spoken by
George C. Scott, as Patton
Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!
Film dialogue
In the film’s El Guettar sequence, Patton watches the German attack fail through binoculars and shouts this line, crediting Rommel’s own book for his win. Filmsite ↗ gives this exact wording. Wikiquote’s film page punctuates it “Rommel… you magnificent bastard, I read your book!”
Wikiquote’s Patton page files the line under misattributed. It says the line was “spoken by George C. Scott in the film Patton” and that the book in the film is fictional: Wikiquote: George S. Patton ↗
Wikiquote’s page for the film records the line in the El Guettar scene and credits the screenplay to Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North: Wikiquote: Patton (film) ↗
The book on Patton’s nightstand in the film, Panzer greift an (The Tank in Attack), was never completed by Rommel. Wikipedia says this is why the exchange could not have happened: Wikipedia: Panzer Greift An ↗
Rommel was not in Tunisia for the battle. He “departed Tunisia for Germany on 9 March” 1943, and the Battle of El Guettar ran from 23 March to 3 April 1943: Wikipedia: Battle of El Guettar ↗
The wording first appeared in the screenplay of Patton, a 1970 film released by 20th Century-Fox. That is well after the 1931 cutoff, so the line is treated as in copyright. A short quotation for commentary or fact-checking is normally fair use, but the line is not public domain.
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
How a movie line became a “Patton quote”
George C. Scott’s Oscar-winning performance is so closely tied to the real general that the film’s invented dialogue now circulates as Patton’s own words. The roles break down like this:
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Popular creditGeorge S. Patton (the general) Did not say it
There is no documented record of the real Patton saying the line. Wikiquote lists it among Patton’s misattributed quotes ↗ and traces it to the 1970 film.
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On screenGeorge C. Scott Spoke it
Scott delivers the line as Patton during the film’s El Guettar battle scene (Wikiquote ↗).
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On the pageFrancis Ford Coppola & Edmund H. North Credited screenplay
They are the film’s credited screenwriters (Wikipedia ↗). The sources checked here do not say which writer wrote this particular line.
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The “book”Erwin Rommel Never finished it
The book shown on Patton’s nightstand in the film, Panzer greift an, was a tank-warfare book that Rommel never completed (Wikipedia ↗). His real book was the infantry study Infanterie greift an (1937). Patton is reported to have read that one (Wikipedia ↗).
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The battleRommel at El Guettar Wasn’t there
Rommel left Tunisia for Germany on 9 March 1943. The Battle of El Guettar began on 23 March 1943, and the 10th Panzer Division made the main German attacks (Wikipedia ↗).
✓The line is screen dialogue from the 1970 film Patton, credited to screenwriters Coppola and North and spoken by George C. Scott. It is not a documented quotation of George S. Patton (Wikiquote ↗).
Context
Why the scene can’t be history
The film stages El Guettar as a personal duel between Patton and Rommel, the “Desert Fox,” with Patton winning because he had studied his rival’s book. History does not support this. Rommel had left Tunisia for Germany on 9 March 1943, before the battle began on 23 March (Wikipedia ↗). The tank book shown on screen was never completed (Wikipedia ↗).
There is a real link underneath the drama. Rommel’s 1937 infantry book, Infanterie greift an, was widely read, and Patton is reported to have been among its readers (Wikipedia ↗). The film turned that background into a single quotable moment, and the moment then passed into quote collections under Patton’s name.
A great line — written for the screen, not said on a battlefield.
Explore
Filed under
More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.
The screenplay of Patton is credited to Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North. The film drew on Ladislas Farago’s Patton: Ordeal and Triumph and Omar N. Bradley’s A Soldier’s Story. George C. Scott delivered the line as Patton. The sources checked here do not say which of the two writers came up with it.
For writers & researchers
Cite this
Film (1970)
Patton. Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North. 20th Century-Fox, 1970. Line spoken by George C. Scott as George S. Patton in the El Guettar battle sequence.
This verification page
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!’?” Last verified 2 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/rommel-you-magnificent-bastard-i-read-your-book/