never fight a land war in Asia

never fight a land war in Asia

Don't start a conflict that is too large or onerous for you to properly resolve or achieve victory. Attributed to several different military leaders since World War II, the phrase alludes to the massive size of Central Asia and the resulting difficulty of engaging in land-based military maneuvers there. A: "I'm going to take their company to court for copyright infringement." B: "Be careful, they're one of the biggest corporations in the world. Like my granddaddy used to say, never fight a land war in Asia.
See also: Asia, fight, land, never, war
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • Asia
  • never start a land war in Asia
  • ruley
  • out of wack
  • out of whack
  • be ahead of (someone's or something's) time
  • be ahead of/before/in advance of your time
  • be in advance of (someone's or something's) time
  • put to the proof
  • see somebody right