17 quotes
War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds.
On War (1832)
War therefore is an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will.
On War (1832)
War is very simple, but in War the simplest things become very difficult.
War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means.
War is not merely an act of policy but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse carried on with other means.
War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means.
The state of crisis is the real war; the equilibrium is nothing but its reflex.
On War (1832)
Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.
On War (1832)
All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it.
On War (1832)
War is fought by human beings.
Modern wars are seldom fought without hatred between nations; this serves more or less as a substitute for hatred between individuals.
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)
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)
...only the element of chance is needed to make war a gamble, and that element is never absent.
On War (1832)
...in war, the advantages and disadvantages of a single action could only be determined by the final balance.
On War (1832)
... in the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards.
On War (1832)