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When he defeated Spassky, many were surprised by
his astonishing wit and mental staying power, especially
late in the matches when both players should’ve been
weary and burned out. What kept Bobby Fisher alert
wasn’t caffeine or amphetamines—it was his breathing.
General George Patton once gave a lecture to his
troops on brainpower. He, too, knew the connection
between breathing and thinking.
“In war, as in peace, a man needs all the brains he
can get,” said Patton. “Nobody ever had too many brains.
Brains come from oxygen. Oxygen comes from the lungs
where the air goes when we breathe. The oxygen in the
air gets into the blood and travels to the brain. Any fool
can double the size of his lungs.”
I learned about Patton’s passion for teaching his
troops deep breathing from Porter Williamson. I had
once written a few political radio and television com-
mercials that caught Mr. Williamson’s attention, so he
called me and asked me to lunch one day. Because he
had identified himself as the author of Patton’s Prin-
ciples, I eagerly accepted his invitation, having coinci-
dentally read the marvelous book a few weeks earlier.
Williamson had served in the army for many years as
Patton’s most trusted legal adviser.
Williamson told me many stories about serving with
Patton, and how truly extraordinary a motivator the
general was. Most of the Patton quotes in this book come
from Williamson’s own memories of his service with the
great general. Williamson told me about how he him-
self had lost his leg to bone cancer, and how the doctors
had erroneously forecasted his death twice. His inner
strength, he said, often came from the inspiration he
received in his days of serving with Patton.
“Frequently, General Patton would stop at my
desk,” recalled Williamson, “and ask, ‘How long you