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Carl von Clausewitz Quotes
1780–1831 Germany
Carl von Clausewitz (1 June 1780 – 16 November 1831) was a Prussian general and influential military theorist. He is most famous for his military treatise Vom Kriege, translated into English as On War.
Germany Military leaders Non-fiction authors Philosophers Also known as: Clausewitz, Carl von, Clausewitz, Karl von, Karl von Clausewitz, On War
Random Carl von Clausewitz quote
61 quotes
There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.
On War (1832)
All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it.
On War (1832)
Timidity is the root of prudence in the majority of men.
On War (1832)
War is fought by human beings.
The worst of all conditions in which a belligerent can find himself is to be utterly defenseless.
On War (1832)
...only a fraction of book learning will seep into practical life anyhow; and the more foolish the theory, the less of it.
On War (1832)
Blind aggressiveness would destroy the attack itself, not the defense.
On War (1832)
Modern wars are seldom fought without hatred between nations; this serves more or less as a substitute for hatred between individuals.
On War (1832)
Boldness governed by superior intellect is the mark of a hero.
On War (1832)
War is only caused through the political intercourse of governments and nations … war is nothing but a continuation of political intercourse with an admixture of other means.
Knowledge in war is very simple, being concerned with so few subjects, and only with their final results at that. But this does not make its application easy.
On War (1832)
Beauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas.
On War (1832)
Der Krieg ist eine bloße Fortsetzung der Politik mit anderen Mitteln
On War (1832)
Of all the passions that inspire a man in a battle, none, we have to admit, is so powerful and so constant as the longing for honor and renown.
On War (1832)
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.
On War (1832)
... the side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain.
On War (1832)
If defense is the stronger form of war, yet has a negative object, it follows that it should be used only so long as weakness compels, and be abandoned as soon as we are strong enough to pursue a positive object.
On War (1832)
Action in war is like movement in a resistant element. Just as the simplest and most natural of movements, walking, cannot easily be performed in water, so in war it is difficult for normal efforts to achieve even moderate results.
On War (1832)
Surprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical superiority is quite distinct from numerical superiority in general: it is the most powerful medium in the art of war.
On War (1832)
Where execution is dominant, as it is in the individual events of a war whether great or small, then intellectual factors are reduced to a minimum.
On War (1832)
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