Sink the boats. Smash the pots.

What it means

Commit so fully that retreat is no longer an option. In the story Của tells, the general's troops could only go forward once the boats were gone. Sometimes the surest way to finish is to remove the way back.

The source

"Sink the boats. Smash the pots." This Vietnamese proverb is recorded in Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (1897), letter T. Translated from the original Vietnamese by Spartan Surfers.

"Trầm thuyền phá phủ."

Original Vietnamese, Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (1897), letter T. Text read at vi.wikisource.org.

Who said it

Proverbs of the world (Every age). Sayings from the Latin, Greek, Norse, Japanese, Chinese and more, each traced to an old source in its own language.

Questions

What does "Sink the boats. Smash the pots." mean?

Commit so fully that retreat is no longer an option. In the story Của tells, the general's troops could only go forward once the boats were gone. Sometimes the surest way to finish is to remove the way back.

Who said "Sink the boats. Smash the pots."?

Vietnamese proverb. Source: Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (1897), letter T.

What is the original Vietnamese?

Trầm thuyền phá phủ. Translated from the original Vietnamese by Spartan Surfers.

Is "Sink the boats. Smash the pots." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"Sink the boats. Smash the pots." (Vietnamese proverb, Huỳnh Tịnh Của, Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (1897), letter T, translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/sink-the-boats-smash-the-pots