If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacles. – Carl von Clausewitz
I shall proceed from the simple to the complex. But in war more than in any other subject we must begin by looking at the nature of the whole; for here more than elsewhere the part and the whole must always be thought of together. – Carl von Clausewitz
Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. – Carl von Clausewitz
Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference. – Carl von Clausewitz
War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means. – Carl von Clausewitz
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
The more a general is accustomed to place heavy demands on his soldiers, the more he can depend on their response. – Carl von Clausewitz
War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means. – Carl von Clausewitz
It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past. – Carl von Clausewitz
Two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead. – Carl von Clausewitz
The political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and the means can never be considered in isolation from their purposes. – Carl von Clausewitz
War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means. – Carl von Clausewitz
Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain. – Carl von Clausewitz
