I spent thirty-three years and four months in active service in the country's most agile military force, the Marines. I served in all ranks from second lieutenant to major general. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.…

About Smedley Butler

Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940) was a United States Marine Corps officer and, later, an anti-war advocate. During his 34-year military career, he fought in the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Mexican Revolution, World War I, and the Banana Wars. At the...

More quotations from Smedley Butler

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. I was rewarded with honors, medals, and promotions. Looking back on it, I feel that I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate a racket in three city districts. The Marines operated on three continents.

—Smedley Butler

honor

More quotations tagged with “business”

In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.

—Unknown

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No one travelling on a business trip would be missed if he failed to arrive.

—Unknown

business

Designing your product for monetization first, and people second will probably leave you with neither.

—Warren Buffett

business

I ran the wrong kind of business, but I did it with integrity.

—Thorstein Veblen

integrity business

Letting your customers set your standards is a dangerous game, because the race to the bottom is pretty easy to win. Setting your own standards—and living up to them—is a better way to profit. Not to mention a better way to make your day worth all the effort you put into it.

—Tara Hunt

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History

16 Jan 2016 Added
17 Jan 2016 Edited (details weren’t recorded yet)
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

I spent thirty-three years and four months in active service in the country's most agile military force, the Marines. I served in all ranks from second lieutenant to major general. And during that period I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. . . .