55 quotes
...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)
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)
A prince or general can best demonstrate his genius by managing a campaign exactly to suit his objectives and his resources, doing neither too much nor too little.
On War (1832)
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.
On War (1832)
[...] two qualities are indispensable [...] The first is figuratively expressed by the French phrase w:coup d'oeil. The other is resolution.
On War (1832)
Obstinacy is a fault of temperament. Stubbornness and intolerance of contradiction result from a special kind of egotism, which elevates above everything else the pleasure of its autonomous intellect, to which others must bow.
On War (1832)
...only the element of chance is needed to make war a gamble, and that element is never absent.
On War (1832)
...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective.
On War (1832)