Carl von Clausewitz Quotes
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To introduce into the philosophy of War itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity.
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Timidity is the root of prudence in the majority of men.
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...the side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain.
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Boldness will be at a disadvantage only in an encounter with deliberate caution, which may be considered bold in its own right, and is certainly just as powerful and effective; but such cases are rare.
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Knowledge must be so absorbed into the mind that it ceases to exist in a separate, objective way.'
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If a segment of one's force is located where it is not sufficiently busy with the enemy, or if the troops are on the march - that is, idle - while the enemy is fighting, then these forces are being managed uneconomically. In this sense they are being wasted, which is even worse than using them inappropriately.
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Modern wars are seldom fought without hatred between nations; this serves more or less as a substitute for hatred between individuals.
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Boldness governed by superior intellect is the mark of a hero.
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With uncertainty in one scale, courage and self-confidence should be thrown into the other to correct the balance. The greater they are, the greater the margin that can be left for accidents.
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All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it.
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Men are always more inclined to pitch their estimate of the enemy's strength too high than too low, such is human nature.
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...self-reliance is the best defence against the pressures of the moment.
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What we should admire is the acute fulfillment of the unspoken assumptions, the smooth harmony of the whole activity, which only become evident in the final success.
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The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing practical to alter or deflect the impulse to destroy the enemy, which is central to the very idea of war.
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Beauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas.
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...in war, the advantages and disadvantages of a single action could only be determined by the final balance.
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...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective.
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...talent and genius operate outside the rules, and theory conflicts with practice.
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Our discussion has shown that while in war many different roads can lead to the goal, to the attainment of the political object, fighting is the only possible means.
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The commander's talents are given greatest scope in rough hilly country. Mountains allow him too little real command over his scattered units and he is unable to control them all; in open country, control is a simple matter and does not test his ability to the fullest.