Quotes About Strategy

One of George Washington's most brilliant moves was to inoculate the army against smallpox during the Valley Forge winter of '78." Without inoculation, she said, the smallpox epidemic could easily have handed the colonies back to the British. Even

The "money game" we still call investment management evolved in recent decades from a winner's game to a loser's game because a basic change occurred in the investment environment: The market came to be overwhelmingly dominated by investment professionals—all knowing the same superb information, having huge computer power, and striving to win by outperforming the market they collectively completely dominate.

At least 80 percent of Capital's most important decisions have been 'No' decisions: active, carefully thought-through decisions not to take a specific action. That's why one of the hallmarks of Capital is how seldom it makes major mistakes.

for the shield may be as important for victory, as the sword or spear.

The mission statement provides the WHY that inspires the HOW.

I have lived long enough in courts, old Amyas, without a murrain on you, to have found out, first, that it is not so easy to shame the devil; and secondly, that it is better to outwit him; and the only way to do that, sweet chuck, is very often not to speak your mind at all.

The skirmishes of quadrille, she would say, reminded her of the petty ephemeral embroilments of the little Italian states, depicted by Machiavel ; perpetually changing postures and connexions ; bitter foes to-day, sugared darlings to-morrow ; kissing and scratching in a breath; — but the wars of whist were comparable to the long, steady, deep-rooted, rational, antipathies of the great French and English nations.

Cards are war, in disguise of a sport.

forgive your enemies...it messes with their heads.

Like all good intelligence officers, Webster knew how to form friendships and use the friends he made. No human action surprised him or touched his emotions.

This did not mean that he had not been active in his own cause. On the contrary, he had been on the telephone all night, every night, feeding his advocates facts and phrases, suggesting sources of support and information, organizing telephone and mail campaigns, and above all guiding and nurturing journalists by reminding them, by tone of voice and vocabulary—though never in so many words—that he was the enemy of their enemies.

Never bring a knife to a gun fight, I tell Mr. Crispy as I turn away from him. His right arm thinks about it for a moment, then falls off.

There is cold comfort to be drawn from the sure and certain knowledge that the correct way to deal with the problem you're facing in your job involves napalm, if

There is cold comfort to be drawn from the sure and certain knowledge that the correct way to deal with the problem you're facing in your job involves napalm, if you find yourself confronting a dragon and you aren't even carrying a cigarette lighter.

But what are we going to do with a load of guns?" asks Pete. "I don't know, Brains, what are we going to do with a half-track full of guns?" Pinky asks. Brains chuckles. "Same thing we do every night, Pinky—" "Fort up and wait for reinforcements," Pinky says flatly.

What better way to weaken a powerful enemy than to get it fighting itself?

Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line, dudes.

you've got to learn to think like a state if you work in the Civil Service. Organizations are not human beings and they don't obey the same priorities. They're hives.

Data are to statistics what a good offensive is to a star quarterback.

As former Fed governor Kevin Warsh has said, "Economics, and the conduct of monetary policy, after all, is not physics.

Obviously good economics is not always good politics.

The decision tree lets you know that your expected payoff is far higher than what you are being asked to invest.

The law of large numbers suggests that an investment firm, or a rich individual like Warren Buffet, should seek out hundreds of opportunities like this with uncertain outcomes but attractive expected returns. Some will work; many won't. On average, these investors will make a lot of money, just like an insurance company or a casino.

Intelligence Gathering and Crime Analysis