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.
Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- War involves limited subjects focused on outcomes, yet executing strategies remains complex.
- In plain terms
- War is simple in theory but hard to apply in practice.
- What can you take from it?
- Understand the end goals but prepare for complex execution.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does theory differ from practice in your field?
- What makes simple plans hard to execute?
Another view
It oversimplifies the chaotic nature of actual combat.
More from Karl von Clausewitz
Great things alone can make a great mind, and petty things will make a petty mind unless a man rejects them as completely alien.
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