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 t….

The general unreliability of all information presents a special problem in war: all action takes place, so to speak, in the twilight, which, like fog….

We repeat again: strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one’s balance in spite of them. Even w….

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 wat….

War should never be thought of as something autonomous, but always as an instrument of policy..

The difficulty of accurate recognition constitutes one of the most serious sources of friction in war, by making things appear entirely different fro….

Politics is the womb in which war develops..

Knowing is different from doing and therefore theory must never be used as norms for a standard, but merely as aids to judgment..

War is an act of force, and to the application of that force there is no limit. Each of the adversaries forces the hand of the other, and a reciproca….

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

Blood is the price of victory.

Just as some plants bear fruit only if they don't shoot up too high, so in practical arts the leaves and flowers of theory must be pruned and the pla….

In the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards..

Talent and genius operate outside the rules, and theory conflicts with practice..

[...] to introduce into the philosophy of war itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity.

There are cases in which the greatest daring is the greatest wisdom..

Four elements make up the climate of war: danger, exertion, uncertainty and chance..

Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating..

There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom..

A general in time of war is constantly bombarded by reports both true and false; by errors arising from fear or negligence or hastiness; by disobedie….

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 n….