The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That’s the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!

Patton distinguishes between prudent anticipation and paralyzing hesitation. Before committing to action—especially in war—he urges leaders to deliberately “consult” fear: imagine worst cases, surface risks, and gather facts so that planning is realistic rather than reckless. But once a decision is made, he insists fear must be shut down to preserve decisiveness, morale, and momentum. The quote captures a command philosophy that treats courage not as the absence of fear, but as disciplined control over it: fear is useful as an analytic tool in preparation, yet destructive if allowed to persist during execution.