War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
War is not an exercise of the will directed at an inanimate matter. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
In the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
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 Copy Share Image
War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
[...] to introduce into the philosophy of war itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Talent and genius operate outside the rules, and theory conflicts with practice. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
No one starts a war--or rather, no one in his sense ought to do so--without first being clear in his mind what… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Politics is the womb in which war develops - where its outlines already exist in their hidden rudimentary form, like the characteristics… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
The political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and the means can never be considered in isolation… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
In war, while everything is simple, even the simplest thing is difficult. Difficulties accumulate and produce frictions which no one can comprehend… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
I shall proceed from the simple to the complex. But in war more than in any other subject we must begin by… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Every combat is the bloody and destructive measuring of the strength of forces, physical and moral; whoever at the close has the… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
We shall not enter into any of the abstruse definitions of war used by publicists. We shall keep to the element of… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
In War more than anywhere else in the world things happen differently to what we had expected, and look differently when near,… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult. The difficulties accumulate and end by producing a kind of… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination. The bloody solution of the crisis, the effort for the destruction of the… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
We must evaluate the political sympathies of other states and the effect war may have on them. To assess these things in… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
The world has a way of undermining complex plans. This is particularly true in fast moving environments. A fast moving environment can… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
[The cause of inaction in war] ... is the imperfection of human perception and judgment which is more pronounced in war than… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
To discover how much of our resources must be mobilized for war, we must first examine our political aim and that of… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
In War, the young soldier is very apt to regard unusual fatigues as the consquence of faults, mistakes, and embarrassment in the… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Lastly, the great uncertainty of all data in War is a peculiar difficulty, because all action must, to a certain extent, be… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
War is a conflict of great interests which is settled by bloodshed, and only in that is it different from others. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
The more a leader is in the habit of demanding from his men, the surer he will be that his demands will… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
“...in war, the advantages and disadvantages of a single action could only be determined by the final balance.” — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
In war more than anywhere else, things do not turn out as we expect. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
“War is such a dangerous business that mistakes that come from kindness are the very worst.” — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Every age has its own kind of war, its own limiting conditions and its own peculiar preconceptions. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
War should never be thought of as something autonomous, but always as an instrument of policy. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
Der Krieg ist nichts als eine Fortsetzung des politischen Verkehrs mit Einmischung anderer Mittel. War is merely the continuation of policy with… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share Image
The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
Rather than comparing [war] to art we could more accurately compare it to commerce, which is also a conflict of human interests and activities;… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
After we have thought out everything carefully in advance and have sought and found without prejudice the most plausible plan, we must not be… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
Intelligence alone is not courage, we often see that the most intelligent people are irresolute. Since in the rush of events a man is… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
The great uncertainty of all data in war is because all action, to a certain extent, planned in a mere twilight - like the… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
Self-reliance is the best defence against the pressures of the moment. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
War is the realm of uncertainty; three-quarters of the factors on which action in war is based are wrapped in a fog of greater… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
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… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means. — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by… — Carl von Clausewitz Copy Share
![“[...] to introduce into the philosophy of war itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity” quote by Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78c/carl-von-clausewitz-2060_absurdity_to-introduce-into-the-philosophy-of-war_2545332.jpg)
![“[The cause of inaction in war] ... is the imperfection of human perception and judgment which is more pronounced in war than anywhere else. We hardly know accurately our own situation at any particular moment while the enemy's, which is concealed from us, must be deduced from very little evidence.” quote by Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93f/carl-von-clausewitz-2060_causes_the-cause-of-inaction-in-war-is-the-impe_2194872.jpg)
