Jeff Cooper quotes

Jeff Cooper was an American Marine, firearms instructor, and writer, renowned for developing modern pistol shooting techniques. His teachings and publications greatly influenced the field of firearms training and self-defense worldwide. He is remembered as the "father of the modern technique" and an influential figure in gun culture. Here are 20 of his quotes:

Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands. (Jeff Cooper)
The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development, and they cannot even protect themselves in many cases. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory. View quote
Jeff Cooper
One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that 'violence begets violence.' I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure - and in some cases I have - that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy. View quote
Jeff Cooper
The media insist that crime is the major concern of the American public today. In this connection they generally push the point that a disarmed society would be a crime-free society. They will not accept the truth that if you take all the guns off the street you still will have a crime problem, whereas if you take the criminals off the street you cannot have a gun problem. View quote
Jeff Cooper
A smart man only believes half of what he hears, a wise man knows which half. View quote
Jeff Cooper
The consensus is that no more than five to ten people in a hundred who die by gunfire in Los Angeles are any loss to society. These people fight small wars amongst themselves. It would seem a valid social service to keep them well-supplied with ammunition. View quote
Jeff Cooper
We continue to be exasperated by the view, apparently gaining momentum in certain circles, that armed robbery is okay as long as nobody gets hurt! The proper solution to armed robbery is a dead robber, on the scene. View quote
Jeff Cooper
The Germans gathered together ethnic divisions from all over Europe in which men of the same linguistic and cultural background could serve together. The Georgian SS division conducted itself with distinction in normal military action, but a good many people seem to think that anybody who was ever a member of the SS was automatically a war criminal. View quote
Jeff Cooper
The conclusions seem inescapable that in certain circles a tendency has arisen to fear people who fear government. Government, as the Father of Our Country put it so well, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. People who understand history, especially the history of government, do well to fear it. For a people to express openly their fear of those of us who are afraid of tyranny is alarming. Fear of the state is in no sense subversive. It is, to the contrary, the healthiest political philosophy for a free people. View quote
Jeff Cooper
The 1911 pistol remains the service pistol of choice in the eyes of those who understand the problem. Back when we audited the FBI academy in 1947, I was told that I ought not to use my pistol in their training program because it was not fair. Maybe the first thing one should demand of his sidearm is that it be unfair. View quote
Jeff Cooper
The decay of the late, great country of South Africa is beginning to become apparent. The name of the Transvaal has been officially changed to 'Gauteng.' (One of our friends has suggested that in view of this its inhabitants in the future should be referred to as Oranggautengs.) ... And now there is a move afoot to wreck the Kruger National Park, one of the wonders of the world, on the notion that a good bit of its land was 'taken from the blacks.' This idea is somewhat akin to giving Yellowstone Park back to the Blackfeet. (Jeff Cooper)
Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician. View quote
Jeff Cooper
The will to survive is not as important as the will to prevail... the answer to criminal aggression is retaliation. View quote
Jeff Cooper
Hoplophobia is a mental disturbance characterized by irrational aversion to weapons, as opposed to justified apprehension about those who may wield them. View quote
Jeff Cooper
We remember the refrain from the Phillippines: ‘Underneath the starry flag/Civilize him with a Krag /And then get underway for home sweet home.' But you have to civilize him first, and how you do that with the ragheads is the problem. View quote
Jeff Cooper
Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons. View quote
Jeff Cooper
An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it. View quote
Jeff Cooper
That is why our masters in Washington are so anxious to disarm us. They are not afraid of criminals. They are afraid of a populace which cannot be subdued by tyrants. View quote
Jeff Cooper
Pick up a rifle and you change instantly from a subject to a citizen. View quote
Jeff Cooper
Remember the first rule of gunfighting ... have a gun. View quote
Jeff Cooper