4 Navy SEAL Quotes That Reveal Their Softer Side

Being a Navy SEAL has to be one of the most hardcore jobs there is. It’s hard to even imagine what they have to do, see, and process on a daily basis. But as much as they possess superhuman qualities, they’re also human.

And in seeing their human nature, they become even more heroic.

The SEALs are somewhat masters at attuning their potential towards greatness. But often greatness comes from the work that no one sees as it happens out of sight and behind the scenes. It’s the work that happens in the hearts and minds of the courageous, sometimes in the wake of the night or in the early hours of the morning.

So, below are four quotes that reveal a side to the SEALs that many often forget or rarely see.

After all, anything that’s too hard has a breaking point. At some point, it has to snap. But if things can bend, even if that means bending out of shape for a while, it means that they can survive and adapt to far more situations. The SEALs are no different.

Being tough is sometimes about being weak. And knowing how to win is also about learning how to lose. So, here goes.

1. It may, or may not, pay to be a winner

Being all in, all of the time like the Navy SEALs often are is intense. But even they know that no one can win all of the time.

What I love about this quote is that it shows that they are also willing to be wrong and to lose on occasion. Maybe their message is that it’s okay to lose the battle if we win the war but what I like to think about here is that these “wars” are the ones we wage with ourselves. They are the silent struggles and triumphs every one of us goes through on a daily basis within our hearts and minds.

Improvement in anything requires the self-awareness to know when to dig deep and push forward and when to pause, take stock, and possibly change direction.

Changing direction isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of discernment. And discernment is a beautiful skill to nurture. If our inner compass is re-directing us towards a new course, we must have the courage to follow our intuition, even if it doesn’t make too much sense at the moment.

2. Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds

When I think of a Navy SEAL I often think of their immense physical and mental strength. I think of their emotional resilience and incredible endurance. I often see powerful independent individuals tackling powerful independent tasks. But what this quote reminds me of is that they are only powerful independent individuals because they belong to something much bigger.

Their strength comes in numbers. It comes from companionship, trust, and loyalty not only in themselves but in everyone around them.

Their humility is grounded in the knowledge that they need each other to succeed. And that the health of the team is bigger than any individual.

This mentality reminds me of another quote, this time from Africa:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to far, go together.”

3. Extreme Ownership. Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame

Success, along with fear and failure are shared experiences. The Navy SEALs don’t just celebrate their victories together, they also console their losses too.

It took me a long time (decades) to fully accept that I am fully responsible for my own joy just as much as I am fully responsible for my own suffering. The temptation is to blame others and it’s easy. After all, they did something to me, right?

But if someone says, “you suck Andy” but I don’t believe it to be true myself, it simply doesn’t hurt. My pain only comes when I also think that about myself.

When I saw this, I realised that whatever someone is doing or saying “to me” is a wonderful opportunity for me to grow, especially when it hurts.

After all, I want to take ownership of my own growth so honouring that growing pains are sometimes, well… painful, there is no one else to blame, there are only others to grow alongside.

4. Sometimes you have to slide down the obstacles head first

Maybe I’m romanticising this a little here, so forgive me if I am. But when I read this quote I’m enchanted by it. That’s because it indicates that obstacles, hurdles, and challenges are not always met with two feet on the ground but with our face in the mud and asses in the air.

Two feet on the ground is often a sign of being grounded, in control, and balanced. Face down, ass up is anything but that.

I imagine that the Navy SEALs like to have their feet on the ground most of the time but I’m thankful for their admission here. I like that they’re not always graceful and grounded, just like the rest of us.

Sometimes we’ve just got to hold on while we trip and stumble through life for a while. Even the Navy SEALs fall down, and it’s perfectly okay.

Here are 4 other techniques the SEALs use on the daily

1. Goal setting

The SEALs commit to improving themselves by 1% every day. They set manageable goals that they can achieve and continue to take small steps as they move forward. As cheesy as it sounds, small steps take giant strides, especially when lots of people are taking small steps together.

2. Visualisations

Michael Jordan used to say, “why would I think about missing a shot before I’ve even taken it?” And the Navy SEALs are no different.

They visualise success and success only. Sure, they handle failure too, as the four quotes above hopefully show, but they never see themselves losing before they’ve lost.

Visualisations are one powerful way they do that.

3. Self-talk

As I said at the top, being a Navy SEAL has to be one of the most hardcore jobs there is. It’s hard to even imagine what they have to do, see, and process on a daily basis. If they didn’t have ways to self-regulate, stay calm, and keep focused right in the moment when they needed it most, they’d be screwed.

So, what they repeatedly think and say to themselves and to each other on a daily basis (on a moment-to-moment basis!) is of utmost importance. It can literally be a matter of life or death.

They know that every thought that we think, every word that we speak, and every action we take sets up for the next moment we experience. How we set it up is a personal choice, of course, and one that we individually make on a moment-to-moment basis. But that choice is often influenced by what the voice inside our head is saying.

Training this voice to speak kindly is a hidden superpower that the Navy SEALs have mastered.

4. Box breathing

Everything else comes and goes but the breath stays with us through it all. So, it is incredibly loyal, trustworthy, and reliable.

Because the breath’s speed and rhythm is the first thing to change through any situation, event, or emotion, listening to its message and self-regulating it is a skill worth mastering. If the SEALs turn to their breath in the heat of battle to help them stay focused, calm, and grounded, then it shows how powerful it is.

How to do it

• Breathe in for 4 seconds
• Hold for 4 seconds
• Breathe out for 4 seconds
• Hold for 4 seconds
• Repeat for 5 minutes

Closing thought

Not everyone will or can become a NAVY Seal or anything close to one for that matter, but anyone can think and act like one. After all, we’re all just human.

If you’ve been inspired by the Navy SEALs and would like to learn more about the power of breathing, check out my favourite technique here or sign up for a free online masterclass here.