Quote #49

...any move made in a state of tension will be of more important, and will have more results, than it would have made in a state of eqilibrium. In times of maximum tension this importance will rise to an infinite degree.

More from Karl von Clausewitz

  1. If a segment of one's force is located where it is not sufficiently busy with the enemy, ot if the troops are on the march - that is, idle …
  2. The state of crisis is the real war; the equilibrium is nothing but its reflex.
  3. Beauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas.
  4. All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it.
  5. ...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective.
  6. If defense is the stronger form of war, yet has a negative object, it follows that it should be used only so long as weakness compels, and …
  7. Boldness governed by superior intellect is the mark of a hero.
  8. Surprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical super…

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