Carl Von Clausewitz Quotes & Sayings
Enjoy the top 100 famous quotes, sayings and quotations by Carl Von Clausewitz.
Famous Quotes By Carl Von Clausewitz
Where absolute superiority is not attainable, you must produce a relative one at the decisive point by making skillful use ofwhat you have. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War is the province of chance. in no other sphere of human activity must such a margin be left for this intruder. it increases the uncertainty of every circumstance and deranges the course of events. — Carl Von Clausewitz
With uncertainty in one scale, courage and self-confidence should be thrown into the other to correct the balance. The greater they are, the greater the margin that can be left for accidents. — 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 probability of direct confrontation increases with the aggressiveness of the enemy. So, rather than try to outbid the enemy with complicated schemes, one should, on the contrary, try to outbid him in simplicity — Carl Von Clausewitz
In war, while everything is simple, even the simplest thing is difficult. Difficulties accumulate and produce frictions which no one can comprehend who has not seen war. — Carl Von Clausewitz
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. — Carl Von Clausewitz
A general who allows himself to be decisively defeated in an extended mountain position deserves to be court-martialled. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain. — Carl Von Clausewitz
If, adhering closely to the absolute, we try to avoid all difficulties by a stroke of the pen, and insist with logical strictness that in every case the extreme must be the object, and the utmost effort must be exerted in that direction, such a stroke of the pen would be a mere paper law, not by any means adapted to the real world. — Carl Von Clausewitz
The side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain. — 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
We shall not enter into any of the abstruse definitions of war used by publicists. We shall keep to the element of the thing itself, to a duel. War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale. — Carl Von Clausewitz
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 or moonlight, often tends to make things seem grotesque and larger than they really are. Whatever is hidden from full view in this feeble light has to be guessed at by talent, or simply left to chance. So once again for the lack of objective knowledge, one has to trust to talent or to luck. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference. — 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. — 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. — 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
As each man's strength gives out, as it no longer responds to his will, the inertia of the whole gradually comes to rest on the commander's will alone. The ardor of his spirit must rekindle the flame of purpose in all others; his inward fire must revive their hope. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War should never be thought of as something autonomous, but always as an instrument of policy. — Carl Von Clausewitz
By 'intelligence' we mean every sort of information about the enemy and his country - the basis, in short, of our own plans and operations. — Carl Von Clausewitz
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. — Carl Von Clausewitz
... a strong character is one that will not be unbalanced by the most powerful emotions — Carl Von Clausewitz
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. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Rather than comparing [war] to art we could more accurately compare it to commerce, which is also a conflict of human interests and activities; and it is still closer to politics, which in turn may be considered as a kind of commerce on a larger scale. — Carl Von Clausewitz
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. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War is such a dangerous business that mistakes that come from kindness are the very worst. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Knowing is different from doing and therefore theory must never be used as norms for a standard, but merely as aids to judgment. — Carl Von Clausewitz
The best strategy is always to be very strong. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Whenever armed forces ... are used, the idea of combat must be present ... The end for which a soldier is recruited, clothed, armed, and trained, the whole object of his sleeping, eating, drinking, and marching is simply that he should fight at the right place and the right time. — 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. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Surprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical superiority is quite distinct from numerical superiority in general: it is the most powerful medium in the art of war. — Carl Von Clausewitz
In war, where imperfect intelligence, the threat of a catastrophe, and the number of accidents are incomparably greater than any other human endeavor, the amount of missed opportunities, so to speak, is therefore bound to be greater. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty. — Carl Von Clausewitz
We must evaluate the political sympathies of other states and the effect war may have on them. To assess these things in all their ramifications and diversity is plainly a colossal task. Rapid and correct appraisal of them clearly calls for the intuition of a genius; to master all this complex mass by sheer methodical examination is obviously impossible. Bonaparte was quite right when he said that Newton himself would quail before the algebraic problems it could pose. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Every combat is the bloody and destructive measuring of the strength of forces, physical and moral; whoever at the close has the greatest amount of both left is the conqueror. — Carl Von Clausewitz
If you entrench yourself behind strong fortifications, you compel the enemy seek a solution elsewhere. — Carl Von Clausewitz
There are cases in which the greatest daring is the greatest wisdom. — 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. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Friction is the only concept that more or less corresponds to the factors that distinguish real war from war on paper ... — Carl Von Clausewitz
Only the element of chance is needed to make war a gamble, and that element is never absent. — 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. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War is politics by other means. — 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
Our knowledge of circumstances has increased, but our uncertainty, instead of having diminished, has only increased. The reason of this is, that we do not gain all our experience at once, but by degrees; so our determinations continue to be assailed incessantly by fresh experience; and the mind, if we may use the expression, must always be under arms. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Any complex activity, if it is to be carried on with any degree of virtuosity, calls for appropriate gifts of intellect and temperament. If they are outstanding and reveal themselves in exceptional achievements, their possessor is called a 'genius'. — Carl Von Clausewitz
The only situation a commander can know fully is his own: his opponent's he can know only from unreliable intelligence. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Responsibility and danger do not tend to free or stimulate the average person's mind- rather the contrary; but wherever they do liberate an individual's judgement and confidence we can be sure that we are in the presence of exceptional ability. — Carl Von Clausewitz
The heart of France lies between Brussels and Paris. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Criticism exists only to recognize the truth, not to act as judge. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Self-reliance is the best defence against the pressures of the moment. — 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. — Carl Von Clausewitz
The difficulty of accurate recognition constitutes one of the most serious sources of friction in war, by making things appear entirely different from what one had expected. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Pity the theory which sets itself in opposition to the mind! It cannot repair this contradiction by any humility, and the humbler it is so much the sooner will ridicule and contempt drive it from real life. — Carl Von Clausewitz
The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Strategy can therefore never take its hand from the work for a moment. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Men are always more inclined to pitch their estimate of the enemy's strength too high than too low, such is human nature. — Carl Von Clausewitz
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
Beauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War is not an exercise of the will directed at an inanimate matter. — Carl Von Clausewitz
If we read history with an open mind, we cannot fail to conclude that, among all the military virtues, the energetic conduct of war has always contributed most to glory and success. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Great things alone can make a great mind, and petty things will make a petty mind unless a man rejects them as completely alien. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Given the same amount of intelligence, timidity will do a thousand times more damage than audacity — Carl Von Clausewitz
As long as the enemy is not defeated, he may defeat me; then I shall be no longer my own master; he will dictate the law to me as I did to him. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. — 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
Strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one's balance in spite of them. — Carl Von Clausewitz
The deduction of effect from cause is often blocked by some insuperable extrinsic obstacle: the true causes may be quite unknown. Nowhere in life is this so common as in war, where the facts are seldom fully known and the underlying motives even less so. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination. — Carl Von Clausewitz
War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost limits. — Carl Von Clausewitz
In war the will is directed at an animate object that reacts. — Carl Von Clausewitz
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
But the main point is that soldiers, after fighting for some time, are apt to be like burned-out cinders. They have shot off their ammunition, their numbers have been diminished, their strength and their morale are drained, and possibly their courage has vanished as well. As an organic whole, quite apart from their loss in numbers, they are far from being what they were before the action; and thus the amount of reserves spent is an accurate measure on the loss of morale. — Carl Von Clausewitz
There are very few men-and they are the exceptions-who are able to think and feel beyond the present moment — Carl Von Clausewitz
In war more than anywhere else, things do not turn out as we expect. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Although our intellect always feels itself urged towards clearness and certainty, still our mind often feels itself attracted by uncertainty. Instead of threading its way with the understanding along the narrow path of philosophical investigations and logical conclusions, in order, almost unconscious of itself, to arrive in spaces where it feels itself a stranger, and where it seems to part from all well-known objects, it prefers to remain with the imagination in the realms of chance and luck. Instead of living yonder on poor necessity, it revels here in the wealth of possibilities; animated thereby, courage then takes wings to itself, and daring and danger make the element into which it launches itself as a fearless swimmer plunges into the stream. — Carl Von Clausewitz
It is paltry philosophy if in the old-fashioned way one lays down rules and principles in total disregard of moral values . As soon as these appear one regards them as exceptions, which gives them a certain scientific status, and thus makes them into rules. Or again one may appeal to genius , which is above all rules; which amounts to admitting that rules are not only made for idiots , but are idiotic in themselves. — Carl Von Clausewitz
The conqueror is always a lover of peace; he would prefer to take over our country unopposed. — Carl Von Clausewitz
If our opponent is to be made to comply with our will, we must place him in a situation which is more oppressive to him than the sacrifice which we demand; but the disadvantages of this position must naturally not be of a transitory nature, at least in appearance, otherwise the enemy, instead of yielding, will hold out, in the prospect of a change for the better. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Four elements make up the climate of war: danger, exertion, uncertainty and chance. — Carl Von Clausewitz
History had no lessons or rules to offer the student, it could only broaden his understanding and strengthen his critical judgment. — 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
The more physical the activity, the less the difficulties will be. The more the activity becomes intellectual and turns into motives which exercise a determining influence on the commander's will, the more the difficulties will increase. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Everything in strategy is very simple, but that does not mean everything is very easy. — Carl Von Clausewitz
A conqueror is always a lover of peace. — Carl Von Clausewitz
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
To secure peace is to prepare for war. — Carl Von Clausewitz
However much pains may be taken to combine the soldier and the citizen in one and the same individual, whatever may be done to nationalize wars, never will it be possible to do away with the professionalism of the business; and if that cannot be done, then those who belong to it will always look upon themselves as a kind of guild, in the regulations, laws, and customs in which the "Spirit of War" finds its expression. It would be very wrong to look down upon this corporate spirit, or esprit de corps, which may and should exist more or less in every Army. — Carl Von Clausewitz
Boldness becomes rarer, the higher the rank. — Carl Von Clausewitz
In war, more than anywhere else in the world, things happen differently from what we had expected, and look differently when near from what they did at a distance. — Carl Von Clausewitz