General Paul Mireau It's out of the question, George. Absolutely out of the question. My division was cut to pieces. What's left of it is in no position to even hold the Ant Hill, let alone take it. I'm sorry, but that's the truth.
Played by George Macready 
Paths of Glory (1957) · 35 quotes
Paths of Glory (1957) · 35 quotes
Most-quoted character in Paths of Glory (1957): in 16 of its 35 quotes
Most scenes with: Colonel Dax (2), General Broulard (2)
Naturally, men are gonna have to be killed, possibly a lot of them. They'll absorb bullets and shrapnel, and by doing so make it possible for others to get through...say five percent killed by our own barrage - that's a very generous allowance. Ten percent more again in no man's land, and twenty percent more again into the wire. That leaves sixty-five percent, and the worst part of the job over. Let's say another twenty-five percent in actually taking the Ant Hill - we're still left with a force more than adequate to hold it.
More lines from General Paul Mireau
9 quotes General Paul Mireau General Paul Mireau Nothing is beyond those men once their fighting spirit is aroused...We might just do it!
General Paul Mireau Hello there soldier, ready to kill more Germans?
General Paul Mireau Looking over your rifle, I see? Well, that's the way. It's a soldier's best friend. You be good to it and it will always be good to you.
General Paul Mireau Miserable cowards, they're not advancing...they're still in the trenches!
General Paul Mireau If those little sweethearts won't face German bullets, they'll face French ones!
General Paul Mireau [about Rousseau]
In cases like this, shells falling short, I-I always try to avoid an inquiry. It gets around among the men and makes a bad impression. Now, shelving will be the best discipline for him in my opinion.
General Paul Mireau Get off this fancy talk with me, do you understand? General Broulard seemed to think you were funny. I don't. I want you to drop this affair...Colonel Dax, when this mess is cleaned up, I'll break you...I'll ruin you. And it'll be just what you deserve, showing such little loyalty to your commanding officer.
General Paul Mireau [to Broulard]
You're making me the goat. The only completely innocent man in this whole affair. I have only one last thing to say to you, George. The man you stabbed in the back is a soldier.
Scenes with General Paul Mireau
6 scenes Mireau I am responsible for the lives of 8,000 men. What is my ambition against that? What is my reputation in comparison to that? My men come first of all, George. And those men know it, too.
I know that they do.
Mireau You see, George, those men know that I would never let them down.
That goes without saying.
Mireau The life of one of those soldiers means more to me than all the stars and decorations and honors in France.
Mireau There is no such thing as shell shock!
Soldier
Yes, I have a wife...I'm never going to see her again. I'm going to be killed.
Mireau [Mireau slaps the soldier]
Sergeant, I want you to arrange for the immediate transfer of this baby out of my regiment. I won't have any of our brave men contaminated by him.
Mireau I never got in the habit of sitting. I like to be on my feet. Keep on the move...I can't understand these arm-chair officers, fellas trying to fight a war from behind a desk, waving papers at the enemy, worrying about whether a mouse is gonna run up their pants leg.
I don't know, General. If I had the choice between mice and Mausers, I think I'd take the mice every time.
Mireau [ordering artillary fire on his own men]
The troops are mutinying, refusing to advance!
Rousseau
[Rousseau refuses the order twice, before demanding to see it in writing]
Supposing you're killed. Then where will I be?
Mireau You'll be in front of a firing squad tomorrow morning, that's where you'll be. Hand over your command and report yourself under arrest to my headquarters.
They're not cowards, so if some of them didn't leave the trenches, it must have been because it was impossible.
Mireau They were ordered to attack. It was their duty to obey that order. We can't leave it up to the men to decide when an order is possible or not. If it was impossible, the only proof of that would be their dead bodies lying in the bottom of the trenches. They are scum, Colonel, the whole rotten regiment; a pack of sneaking, whining, tail-dragging curs.
Do you really believe that, sir?
Mireau Yes, I do. That's exactly what I believe. And what's more, it's an incontestable fact.
Then why not shoot the entire regiment? I'm perfectly serious...If it's an example you want, then take me...One man will do as well as a hundred. The logical choice is the officer most responsible for the attack.
Mireau I'm awfully glad you could be there, George. This sort of thing is always rather grim but this one had a kind of splendor to it, don't you think?
I have never seen an affair of this sort handled any better.
Mireau The men died wonderfully! There's always that chance that one of them will do something that will leave everyone with a bad taste. This time, you couldn't ask for better.
