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About this quote

What does it mean?
True conflict happens during crises; peace is just the pause between them.
In plain terms
War is real, peace is just the break.
What can you take from it?
Recognize that underlying tension exists even in calm times.

Where it applies

  • international relations
  • market analysis
  • conflict preparation

Putting it to work

  • prepare for underlying tensions
  • question apparent stability

Questions to consider

  • Is peace ever truly stable?
  • What tensions exist beneath the surface?

Another view

Peace can be a genuine goal, not just a pause.

More from Karl von Clausewitz

  1. ...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 max…

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  2. All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it.

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  3. 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 - while the enemy is…

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