Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time.

Patton’s line fuses two of his trademark emphases: relentless effort (“do your damnedest”) and the performative, morale-shaping side of command (“in an ostentatious manner”). Read this way, it is less a plea for vanity than a prescription for leadership under pressure: visible energy, confidence, and intensity can be contagious, signaling resolve to subordinates and intimidating opponents. The “all the time” underscores discipline—sustained drive rather than occasional bursts. The quote also reflects Patton’s belief in military theater (uniforms, posture, rhetoric) as a tool to create cohesion and fighting spirit, even when the display is partly strategic.