Carl von Clausewitz Quotes

The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.

War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.

No campaign plan survives first contact with the enemy

Tactics is the art of using troops in battle; strategy is the art of using battles to win the war

Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat an enemy without too much bloodshed, and might imagine this is the true goal of the art of war. Pleasant as it sounds; it is a fallacy that must be exposed: War is such a dangerous business that the mistakes which come from kindness are the very worst.

Savage peoples are ruled by passion, civilized peoples by the mind.

The best strategy is always to be very strong.

To secure peace is to prepare for war.

No one starts a war--or rather, no one in his sense ought to do so--without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by the war and how he intends to conduct it.

We repeat again: strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one’s balance in spite of them. Even with the violence of emotion, judgment and principle must still function like a ship’s compass, which records the slightest variations however rough the sea.

The world has a way of undermining complex plans. This is particularly true in fast moving environments. A fast moving environment can evolve more quickly than a complex plan can be adapted to it. By the time you have adapted, the target has changed.

Two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.

To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'

Knowledge must become capability.

Be audacious and cunning in your plans, firm and persevering in their execution, determined to find a glorious end.

Every age has its own kind of war, its own limiting conditions and its own peculiar preconceptions.

Criticism exists only to recognize the truth, not to act as judge.

Given the same amount of intelligence, timidity will do a thousand times more damage than audacity

The first and most important rule to observe...is to use our entire forces with the utmost energy. The second rule is to concentrate our power as much as possible against that section where the chief blows are to be delivered and to incur disadvantages elsewhere, so that our chances of success may increase at the decisive point. The third rule is never to waste time. Finally, the fourth rule is to follow up our successes with the utmost energy. Only pursuit of the beaten enemy gives the fruits of victory.

The best form of defense is attack.

There are very few men-and they are the exceptions-who are able to think and feel beyond the present moment

Desperate affairs require desperate remedies.

War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.

Talent and genius operate outside the rules, and theory conflicts with practice.

The Conqueror is always a lover of peace: he would prefer to take over our country unopposed.