22 Karl von Clausewitz Quotes on Strategy

Karl von Clausewitz quotes on strategy

5. Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat the 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.

8. Men are always more inclined to pitch their estimate of the enemy's strength too high than too low, such is human nature.

   Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

10. ...in the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

14. Blind aggressiveness would destroy the attack itself, not the defense.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

15. 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 means.

17. If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, 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.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

29. 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.

32. ...it is better to go on striking in the same direction than to move one's forces this way and that.

33. There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

36. A prince or general can best demonstrate his genius by managing a campaign exactly to suit his objectives and his resources, doing neither too much nor too little.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

39. If we do not learn to regard a war, and the separate campaigns of which it is composed, as a chain of linked engagements each leading to the next, but instead succumb to the idea that the capture of certain geographical points or the seizure of undefended provinces are of value in themselves, we are liable to regard them as windfall profits. In so doing, and in ignoring the fact that they are links in a continuous chain of events, we also ignore the possibility that their possession may later lead to definite disadvantages.

40. ...in war, the advantages and disadvantages of a single action could only be determined by the final balance.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

43. Boldness will be at a disadvantage only in an encounter with deliberate caution, which may be considered bold in its own right, and is certainly just as powerful and effective; but such cases are rare.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

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.

50. The state of crisis is the real war; the equilibrium is nothing but its reflex.

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

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

52. 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 be abandoned as soon as we are strong enough to pursue a positive object.

53. Surprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical superiority is quite distinct from numerical superiority in general: it is the most powerful medium in the art of war.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

56. In war the result is never final.

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

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

60. To introduce into the philosophy of war a principle of moderation would be an absurdity - war is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds.

61. War is merely the continuation of politics by other means.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.