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In war the will is directed at an animate object that reacts.
War is the province of chance. In no sphere of human activity is such a margin to be left for this intruder. It increases the uncertainty of every circumstance, and deranges the course of events.
After we have thought out everything carefully in advance and have sought and found without prejudice the most plausible plan, we must not be ready to abandon it at the slightest provocation. should this certainty be lacking, we must tell ourselves that nothing is accomplished in warfare without daring; that the nature of war certainly does not let us see at all times where we are going; that what is probable will always be probable though at the moment it may not seem so; and finally, that we cannot be readily ruined by a single error, if we have made reasonable preparations.
We must, therefore, be confident that the general measures we have adopted will produce the results we expect. most important in this connection is the trust which we must have in our lieutenants. consequently, it is important to choose men on whom we can rely and to put aside all other considerations. if we have made appropriate preparations, taking into account all possible misfortunes, so that we shall not be lost immediately if they occur, we must boldly advance into the shadows of uncertainty.
The best form of defense is attack.
The majority of people are timid by nature, and that is why they constantly exaggerate danger. all influences on the military leader, therefore, combine to give him a false impression of his opponent's strength, and from this arises a new source of indecision.
In war everything is simple, but it's the simple things that are difficult.
The world has a way of undermining complex plans. This is particularly true in fast moving environments. A fast moving environment can evolve more quickly than a complex plan can be adapted to it. By the time you have adapted, the target has changed.
The more a leader is in the habit of demanding from his men, the surer he will be that his demands will be answered.
Desperate affairs require desperate remedies.
The heart of France lies between Brussels and Paris.
Close combat, man to man, is plainly to be regarded as the real basis of combat.
Lastly, the great uncertainty of all data in War is a peculiar difficulty, because all action must, to a certain extent, be planned in a mere twilight, which in addition not unfrequently — like the effect of a fog or moonshine — gives to things exaggerated dimensions and an unnatural appearance.
War is nothing but a duel on a larger scale.
War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds.
The Conqueror is always a lover of peace: he would prefer to take over our country unopposed.
...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective.
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 with the violence of emotion, judgment and principle must still function like a ship’s compass, which records the slightest variations however rough the sea.
All war presupposes human weakness and seeks to exploit it.
War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means.
The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.
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