To be practical, any plan must take account of the enemy's power to frustrate it. Carl von Clausewitz More Quotes by Carl von Clausewitz More Quotes From Carl von Clausewitz In 1793 such a force as no one had any conception of made its appearance. War had again suddenly become an affair of the people, and that of a people numbering thirty millions, every one of whom regarded himself as a citizen of the State... By this participation of the people in the war... a whole Nation with its natural weight came into the scale. Carl von Clausewitz citizenswarpeople All action takes place, so to speak, in a kind of twilight, which like a fog or moonlight, often tends to make things seem grotesque and larger than they really are. Carl von Clausewitz fogtwilightaction Blood is the price of victory Carl von Clausewitz victorymilitaryblood Beauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas. Carl von Clausewitz formulasdefinedcircles The bloody solution of the crisis, the effort for the destruction of the enemy's forces, is the first-born son of war. Carl von Clausewitz militarywarson 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. Carl von Clausewitz campaignsgeniuslittles 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. Carl von Clausewitz campaignswarideas The political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and the means can never be considered in isolation form their purposes. Carl von Clausewitz warpeacemean Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain. Carl von Clausewitz uncertainmilitarywar A certain grasp of military affairs is vital for those in charge of general policy. Carl von Clausewitz affaircertainmilitary The side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain. Carl von Clausewitz bargainssidesfeels War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds. Carl von Clausewitz limitswarpeace 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. Carl von Clausewitz mindlongideas Only the element of chance is needed to make war a gamble, and that element is never absent. Carl von Clausewitz elementschancewar In war the will is directed at an animate object that reacts. Carl von Clausewitz objectsmilitarywar In War, the young soldier is very apt to regard unusual fatigues as the consquence of faults, mistakes, and embarrassment in the conduct of the whole, and to become distressed and depondent as a consequence. This would not happen if he had been prepared for this beforehand by exercises in peace. Carl von Clausewitz exercisemistakewar Blind aggressiveness would destroy the attack itself, not the defense. Carl von Clausewitz aggressivenessdefenseblind Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination. The bloody solution of the crisis, the effort for the destruction of the enemy's forces, is the first-born son of war. Only great and general battles can produce great results. Blood is the price of victory. Carl von Clausewitz determinationmilitarywar Only great and general battles can produce great results Carl von Clausewitz resultsbattlemilitary It should be noted that the seeds of wisdom that are to bear fruit in the intellect are sown less by critical studies and learned monographs than by insights, broad impressions, and flashes of intuition. Carl von Clausewitz fruitintuitionwisdom
