Carl von Clausewitz quotes - page 2

Obstinacy is a fault of temperament. Stubbornness and intolerance of contradiction result from a special kind of egotism, which elevates above everything else the pleasure of its autonomous intellect, to which others must bow. (Carl von Clausewitz)
All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
Architects and painters know precisely what they are about as long as they deal with material phenomena.... But when they come to the aesthetics of their work, when they aim at a particular effect on the mind or on the senses, the rules dissolve into nothing but vague ideas. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing practical to alter or deflect the impulse to destroy the enemy, which is central to the very idea of war. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
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. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
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. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
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. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
Modern wars are seldom fought without hatred between nations; this serves more or less as a substitute for hatred between individuals. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
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. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
Where execution is dominant, as it is in the individual events of a war whether great or small, then intellectual factors are reduced to a minimum. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
...the side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain. (Carl von Clausewitz)
...talent and genius operate outside the rules, and theory conflicts with practice. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
The conqueror is always a lover of peace; he would prefer to take over our country unopposed. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
Action in war is like movement in a resistant element. Just as the simplest and most natural of movements, walking, cannot easily be performed in water, so in war it is difficult for normal efforts to achieve even moderate results. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
...self-reliance is the best defence against the pressures of the moment. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
...only the element of chance is needed to make war a gamble, and that element is never absent. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
If a segment of one's force is located where it is not sufficiently busy with the enemy, or if the troops are on the march - that is, idle - while the enemy is fighting, then these forces are being managed uneconomically. In this sense they are being wasted, which is even worse than using them inappropriately. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
...it is better to go on striking in the same direction than to move one's forces this way and that. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
...in war, the advantages and disadvantages of a single action could only be determined by the final balance. (Carl von Clausewitz)
The commander's talents are given greatest scope in rough hilly country. Mountains allow him too little real command over his scattered units and he is unable to control them all; in open country, control is a simple matter and does not test his ability to the fullest. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
No one starts a war--or rather, no one in his sense ought to do so--without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by the war and how he intends to conduct it. View quote
Carl von Clausewitz
To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity' View quote
Carl von Clausewitz