I sincerely desire to be appointed Commander in Chief of the air fleet to attack Pearl Harbor so that I may personally command that attack force. - Isoroku Yamamoto

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Although a precise outlook on the international situation is hard for anyone to make, it is needless to say that now the time has come for the Navy, especially the Combined Fleet, to devote itself seriously to war preparations, training, and operational plans with a firm determination that a conflict with the U.S. and Great Britain is inevitable. -Isoroku Yamamoto

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A man of real purpose puts his faith in himself always. Sometimes he refuses even to put his faith in the gods. So from time to time, he falls into error. - Isoroku Yamamoto

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A military man can scarcely pride himself on having smitten a sleeping enemy; it is more a matter of shame, simply, for the one smitten. Isoroku Yamamoto

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I was once the captain of Akagi, and it is with heartfelt regret that I must now order that she be sunk. - Isoroku Yamamoto

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The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water.

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Japan has always regarded the aircraft carrier as one of the most offensive of armaments. -Isoroku Yamamoto

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I felt from the start that America was not likely to relinquish lightly positions established at the cost of such sacrifices, and I pressed the view that a high degree of preparation and willingness to make sacrifices would be necessary on our side, but everybody here always persists in facile optimism until the very worst actually happens. -Isoroku Yamamoto

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The bird breaks the shell. The shell is the world. Whoever wants to be born has to destroy a world.

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If we are to have a war with America, we will have no hope of winning unless the U.S. fleet in Hawaiian waters can be destroyed. - Isoroku Yamamoto

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