It is not wise warfare to throw your ammunition to the enemy unless you throw it from the cannon's mouth. But if you can compel the enemy to waste his ammunition by drawing his fire on some thoroughly protected spot; if you can, by annoying and goading and harassing him in all possible ways, drive him to the last resort of stripping bare his tyrannous and invasive purposes and put him in the attitude of a designing villain assailing honest men for purposes of plunder; there is no better strategy.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Provoking an enemy to reveal their oppressive intent is a valid strategy, rather than wasting resources recklessly.
- In plain terms
- Forcing the enemy to show their bad nature is smart strategy.
- What can you take from it?
- Strategic provocation can expose an opponent's true nature.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is provocation justified?
- Does exposing intent help?
Another view
Provocation risks escalating harm unnecessarily.
More from Benjamin Tucker
I insist that there is nothing sacred in the life of an invader, and there is no valid principle of human society that forbids the invaded to protect themselve…
Permalink to quote #33 'Passive resistance,' said Ferdinand Lassalle, with an obtuseness thoroughly German, 'is the resistance which does not resist.' Never was there a greater mista…
Permalink to quote #35 But this is not to say that the society which inflicts capital punishment commits murder. Murder is an offensive act. The term cannot be applied legitimately t…
Permalink to quote #32
Related quotes
The occupation of Iraq is completely self-perpetuating: The worse things get the more we are obliged to stay. And the longer we stay the worse things get. Wond…
Andrew SullivanAndrew Sullivan quote #12 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 …
Karl von ClausewitzKarl von Clausewitz quote #15 War means fighting. The business of the soldier is to fight. Armies are not called out to dig trenches, to throw up breastworks, to live in camps, but to find …
Thomas JacksonThomas Jackson quote #18