Quotes from Carl von Clausewitz

A conqueror is always a lover of peace.

War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means.

Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain.

War is the province of danger.

War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means.

The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.

Timidity is the root of prudence in the majority of men.

Of all the passions that inspire a man in a battle, none, we have to admit, is so powerful and so constant as the longing for honor and reknown.

To secure peace is to prepare for war.

War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.

War is the continuation of politics by other means.

Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.

To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'

Whoever does great things with small means has successfully reached the goal.

Given the same amount of intelligence, timidity will do a thousand times more damage than audacity

Knowledge must become capability.

If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacles.

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.

What we should admire is the acute fulfillment of the unspoken assumptions, the smooth harmony of the whole activity, which only become evident in the final success.

Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.

Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference.

It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.

Criticism exists only to recognize the truth, not to act as judge.

The more a general is accustomed to place heavy demands on his soldiers, the more he can depend on their response.