Quotes from On War — Carl von Clausewitz
1780–1831 Germany
← All quotes by Carl von Clausewitz
55 quotes
War is such a dangerous business that mistakes that come from kindness are the very worst.
The Conqueror is always a lover of peace: he would prefer to take over our country unopposed.
To introduce into the philosophy of War itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity.
War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds.
War therefore is an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfil our will.
What is the object of defense? To preserve. To preserve is easier than to acquire.
Knowledge must be so absorbed into the mind that it ceases to exist in a separate, objective way.
The state of crisis is the real war; the equilibrium is nothing but its reflex.
Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.
There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.
All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it.
Timidity is the root of prudence in the majority of men.
The worst of all conditions in which a belligerent can find himself is to be utterly defenseless.
Attribution
Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Carl von Clausewitz (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.