Selected strategy quotes

1. Nothing fails like success.

2. Beware of rashness, but with energy and sleepless vigilance go forward and give us victories.

3. I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.

4. The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.

5. I have not come into this world to make men better, but to make use of their weaknesses.

6. I ought to have seized the initiative in 1938 instead of allowing myself to be forced into war in 1939; for war was, in any case, unavoidable. However, you can hardly blame me if the British and the French accepted at Munich every demand I made of them! (14th February 1945)

7. The peoples of Islam will always be closer to us than, for example, France. (2nd April 1945)

8. You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.

9. War is possible only if you have a lot of enemies. If all the enemies get together and form one front - if you cut down the number of enemies - there would be no war.

10. It would have been easier to fight alone with inadequate forces than to have to accept...responsibility for our ally's lack of fighting qualities and dubious loyalty.

11. Conditions to the north of us, in the Voronezh and Steppe Fronts zone of action, and our offensive on Kharkov demands that we not lose time and we commit all forces so that we can draw off as many divisions as possible from Kharkov. And even if we do not draw them off, at least we will not give Manstein the ability to take any of his units from our part of the front. If we attract one or two German tank divisions - it will be the best contribution to the defeat of the enemy in the south.

12. Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.

13. Neither the Army nor the Navy is of any protection, or very little protection, against aerial raids.

14. The nation that secures control of the air will ultimately control the world.

15. How can we still speak of the salvation and reformation of Europe, when we have to ask Europe's destroyer for help?

16. We were terrified that Jones would settle. It was contrary to our purpose of bringing down the president.

17. There is no road to wealth so easy and respectable as that of matrimony.

18. We're all looking for a plan that will work. The current plan is not working, and 21,500 additional troops -- it's a snowball in July. It's not going to work.

19. If you are going to have to play defense all the time, you cannot have the kind of ingenuity, assertiveness, independence, and intelligence which is what has made our country strong.

20. Never fight fair with a stranger, boy. You'll never get out of the jungle that way.

21. Having failed to conquer myself, my best hope now is to arrange an alliance with myself.

22. If I do enough different things in enough different ways, I may, eventually, do something right.

23. Sometimes the only way you can win is to stay out of the game.

24. The surest way to remain a winner is to win once, and then not play any more.

25. To be sure of winning, invent your own game, and never tell any other player the rules.

26. To live means to finesse the processes to which one is subjugated.

27. You should know me well enough by now to know I don't ask for things I don't think I can get.

28. I have never opened with the QP - on principle.

29. Patzer sees a check, gives a check.

30. I usually never stay at the board after a game. Especially against Spassky. I made a dumb suggestion and he refuted it instantly! I know I'm going to have to play him some day and it was really stupid to look like such a jerk in front of him.

31. The turning point in my career came with the realization that Black should play to win instead of just steering for equality.

32. Concentrate on material gains. Whatever your opponent gives you take, unless you see a good reason not to.

33. When you back off, it's easier to do mistakes. For me it's better to ski fast.

34. When you fight, if it is a real fight, use every tool that you have, use your whole body. Use your fists, your legs, your fingers, your head if you have to, and hit them in every vulnerable spot, the balls, the eyes etc. to win.

35. If bin Laden is in fact publicly killed, then the US military will find itself standing around with its hands in its pockets, wondering what's supposed to come next.

36. Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of state.

37. People may oppose you, but when they realize you can hurt them, they'll join your side.

38. But in terms of Saddam Hussein being there, let's remember that his country is divided, in effect. He does not control the northern part of his country. We are able to keep arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt.

39. Punish France, ignore Germany, and forgive Russia.

40. It's bad policy to speculate on what you'll do if a plan fails when you're trying to make a plan work.

41. Le nez de Cleopatre, s'il eut ete plus court, toute la face de la terre aurait change.

42. Theoretically, I think the game is a definite draw.

43. I wanted to give them something to think about when they prepare for me in future tournaments. (on why he played 1.d4, 1.c4 & 1.Nf3 a few times)

44. Instead of attempting to fuse elements of different cultures like everyone else, he chose to rely on what he knows best - simple arrangements with assured piano playing.

45. I don't think you can ever count somebody like her out. Because she may appear one way, but she's very clever.

46. The main characteristic JKD is the absence of the usual classical passive blocking. Blocking is the least efficient. Jeet Kune-Do is offensive; it's alive and it's free.

47. They're busily re-thinking a lot of their cherished doctrines. Nothing concentrates the military mind like getting shot at.

48. Change: 'One column of truth cannot hold an institution of ideas from falling into ignorance. It is wiser that a person of prudence and purpose save his strength for battles that can be won.'

49. Tolerance: 'The best way to win against the intolerable is to tolerate them, for this they have seldom dealt with. Your indulgence may soften their malice and open their eyes to more honorable ways.'

50. Pour tromper un rival l'artifice est permis; on peut tout employer contres ses ennemis.

51. Here's the rule for bargains - 'Do other men, for they would do you.' That's the true business precept.

52. I don't think we had better go into the minute secrets of the campaign, so far as I know them, because I see the reporters are present, who are taking it all down.

53. Our record company wanted us to do a greatest hits album. Well, we thought it would be really funny to put out an album and call it B-sides instead of A-sides. We were never a band who tried to produce hit singles. I don't even think we've got something like 12 top-20 singles. That's one of the reasons why we all think the compilation should consist of rare recordings.

54. 'Peace through Strength,' surely history's most exploded nostrum.

55. The best case scenario is a rapid attack by precision-guided weapons, striking Saddam's communications in the first hours and preventing his deranged orders from being obeyed. Then a massive landing will bring food, medicine and laptop computers to a surging crowd of thankful and relieved Iraqis and Kurds. This could, in theory, all happen.

56. Interviewer: It seems to be acknowledged that there're more people out there supporting the aims of Al-Qaeda and groups like them, and are willing to die, as a result of this war, than perhaps there were previously? Hitchens: Well, you could as easily say that the number of people who used to be based in Afghanistan, have, as a result of the intervention there, relocated themselves and spread the virus in that way. Both of these arguments lead to only one terminus, which is: we should surrender to jihadism, and not try to oppose it, in case we make them upset.

57. And so the administration, I think, has said to the American people that it is a generational commitment to Iraq.

58. These people are making a choice for peace and that means that the time is coming in which this insurgency will have no foothold, in which it will be defeated, defeated by Iraqis and in which we can fully come home.

59. If I see that the Russians are amassing their planes for an attack, I'm going to knock the shit out of them before they take off the ground.

60. 'They can hopscotch around us,' Chris told Laura. They can pop ahead in time to see where we show up, then they pick and choose the easiest place along the time stream to ambush us. It's sorta like: if we were the cowboys and the Indians were all psychic.'

61. 24-Characters: keep cool-headed to observe, be composed to make reactions, stand firmly, hide our capabilities and bide our time, never try to take the lead, and be able to accomplish something.'[2]

62. 2: Lay a million eggs or give birth to one, so shall your species survive.

63. 'If you ever want to hide something from (Louisiana attorney general) Jack Gremillion, put it in a law book.'

64. More and more I am coming to the conviction that Roe vs. Wade, in the guise of a great victory, has been in some respects a disaster for feminism. We might be better off today if it had never happened, and we had had to continue a state-by-state political fight. Roe vs. Wade resulted in a lot of women declaring victory and going home. In the meantime we have been losing abortion rights on the ground, both in terms of access and funding and on the ideological and psychological levels.

65. Never be first; try to be second.

66. Erich Ludendorff was considered the brains of the new German command. He pushed for the resumption of unlimited submarine warfare, which ultimately brought America into the conflict.

67. I will bring to everyone's attention that, in case war with Great Britain were to burst; such a war could mean Germany's end.

68. Navy Commander Erich Raeder was more concerned with enhancing the navy's position in the new Reich than with contributing to a rational grand strategy. His limited vision fitted nicely into Hitler's dreams of world empire.

69. There is only one thing to do - take it to the country!

70. When I face an issue of great import that cleaves both constituents and colleagues, I always take the same approach. I engage in deep deliberation and quiet contemplation. I wait to the last available minute and then I always vote with the losers. Because, my friend, the winners never remember and the losers never forget.

71. [Morales] should reflect upon the historic opportunity of moving to the center.

72. Mon centre cede, ma droite recule, situation excellente, j'attaque.

73. He that commands the sea is at great liberty, and may take as much and as little of the war as he will.

74. Et guerre faicte sans bonne provision d'argent, n'a qu'un souspirail de vigueur. Les nerfz des batailles sont les pecunes.

75. 'Why kill the goose that laid the golden egg?'

76. I am more afraid of an army of a hundred sheep led by a lion than an army of a hundred lions led by a sheep.

77. He is at pains to avoid making enemies. He is slow, but very methodical. He displays marked tactical ability, though he is inclined to spend overmuch time on his appreciation.

78. I take a wolf's rib and whittle it sharp at both ends and coil it up and freeze it in blubber and place it out on the fairway of the bears.

79. The depth of Tigran's approach to chess is the direct consequence of his clear mind and his rare insight into general aspects of chess, into subtleties of chess tactics and strategy. Petrosian performed a special kind of art in creating harmonious positions that were full of life, where apparent absence of superficial dynamism was compensated by enormous inner energy. Every subtle change in the position was always taken into consideration in the context of a complex strategy that was not obvious to his opponents.

80. It is characteristic that Spassky has never in his life started a game with 1.Nf3. He must have considered it a 'semi-move', real moves being only those that lead to an immediate fight. All of those notorious opening peculiarities (such as avoiding this, that, and the other and preventing the other that and this) seemed repulsive to him.

81. Spassky was the first great chess player to use both 1.e4 and 1.d4 with equal success. He managed to employ these moves more harmoniously than any other world champion.

82. A movement which is confined to philosophers and honest men can never exercise any real political influence: there are too few of them. Until a movement shows itself capable of spreading among brigands, it can never hope for a political majority.

83. Seeing clearly within himself and always able to dodge around the ends of any position, including his own, Shaw assumed from the start the dual role of prophet and gadfly.

84. I said that wherever these people, meaning the Soviet leadership, confronted us with dangerous hostility anywhere in the world, we should do everything possible to contain it and not let them expand any further. I should have explained that I didn't suspect them of any desire to launch an attack on us. This was right after the war, and it was absurd to suppose that they were going to turn around and attack the United States. I didn't think I needed to explain that, but I obviously should have done it.

85. President Bush inadvertently played right into the hands of bin Laden. The invasion of Afghanistan was justified: that was where bin Laden lived and al Qaeda had its training camps. The invasion of Iraq was not similarly justified. It was President Bush's unintended gift to bin Laden.

86. Before the invasion of Iraq, we could project overwhelming power in any part of the world. We cannot do so any more because we are bogged down in Iraq. Iran and North Korea are moving ahead with their nuclear programs at full speed and our hand in dealing with them has been greatly weakened.

87. The war on terror as defined by President Bush is a one-dimensional presentation of reality. We cannot fight terrorism by military means alone. We can use military force only when we have a known target; but it is the habit of terrorists to keep their whereabouts hidden. To track them down we need the support of the populations amongst whom they hide. Offense is not necessarily the best defense if it offends those whose allegiance we need.

88. The goal of competitors is to prevail, not to preserve competition in the markets.

89. Given the goals of rogue states and terrorists, the United States can no longer solely rely on a reactive posture as we have in the past. The inability to deter a potential attacker, the immediacy of today's threats, and the magnitude of potential harm that could be caused by our adversaries' choice of weapons, do not permit that option.We cannot let our enemies strike first.

90. '..Terror is bigger than one person..So I don't know where [Bin Laden] is..You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you. ...I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him.'

91. I don't think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world.

92. I have earned capitol, and I intend to spend it.

93. See, the irony is, what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over.

94. You know, I think an interesting construct that General [Peter] Pace uses is, 'We're not winning, we're not losing.'

95. Some say our approach is really just more troops for the same strategy. In fact, we have a new strategy with a new mission: helping secure the population, especially in Baghdad. Our plan puts Iraqis in the lead.... Members of Congress have a right to express their views, and express them forcefully. But those who refuse to give this plan a chance to work have an obligation to offer an alternative that has a better chance for success. To oppose everything while proposing nothing is irresponsible.

96. What we're trying to do with this reinforcement of our troops is to provide enough space so that the Iraqi government can meet certain benchmarks or certain requirements for a unity government to survive and for the country to be strong.

97. It makes no sense to tell the enemy when you plan to start withdrawing. All the terrorists would have to do is mark their calendars and gather their strength -- and begin plotting how to overthrow the government and take control of the country of Iraq. I believe setting a deadline for withdrawal would demoralize the Iraqi people, would encourage killers across the broader Middle East, and send a signal that America will not keep its commitments. Setting a deadline for withdrawal is setting a date for failure -- and that would be irresponsible.

98. Yet today our military is still organized more for Cold War threats than for the challenges of a new century -- for industrial age operations, rather than for information age battles. There is almost no relationship between our budget priorities and a strategic vision. The last seven years have been wasted in inertia and idle talk. Now we must shape the future with new concepts, new strategies, new resolve.

99. In the late 1930s, as Britain refused to adapt to the new realities of war, Winston Churchill observed, 'The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences.'

100. We're facing a radical ideology with inalterable objectives: to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world. No act of ours invited the rage of the killers - and no concession, bribe, or act of appeasement would change or limit their plans for murder.