--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you wish a general to be beaten, send…" description: "\"If you wish a general to be beaten, send him a ream full of instructions; if you wish him to succeed, give him a destination, and bid him conquer.\" — A..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/augustus-william-hare-7245_beaten_if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send_1710414.jpg" --- # If you wish a general to be beaten, send him a ream full… ![“If you wish a general to be beaten, send him a ream full of instructions; if you wish him to succeed, give him a destination, and bid him conquer.” quote by Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/augustus-william-hare-7245_beaten_if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send_1710414.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/augustus-william-hare-7245_beaten_if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send_1710414.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/augustus-william-hare-7245_beaten_if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send_1710414.jpg) > “If you wish a general to be beaten, send him a ream full of instructions; if you wish him to succeed, give him a destination, and bid him conquer.” [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Providing clear goals inspires action, while excessive instructions stifle initiative and success. **In simple terms:** Give direction, not endless detail. Key Takeaway Focus on outcomes, not micromanagement. Themes leadership goal setting motivation Mood inspirational pragmatic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - project kickoff - team leadership - personal goal setting Key Concepts management theory autonomy strategic planning Questions to Reflect On - What balance of direction and freedom works best for you? - How do you ensure goals are motivating? A Different Perspective Too vague goals can lead to confusion without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/if-you-wish-to-succeed-you-must-brave-the-risk-of-failure/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [“Learn to preserve your relationship with people who wish to see you succeed. Those are the people you really need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/learn-to-preserve-your-relationship-with-people-who-wish-to-see-you/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [“If you wish to succeed, you must believe in yourself and look at everything positively”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sid-mittra/if-you-wish-to-succeed-you-must-believe-in-yourself-and-look-at/) [Sid Mittra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sid-mittra/) > [“wish that I will succeed in life,” I replied. And I thought that a shooting star, though it could be beautiful, was a star…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-l-dicker/wish-that-i-will-succeed-in-life-i-replied-and-i-thought-that-a/) [Joël Dicker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-l-dicker/) > [If you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/if-you-wish-to-succeed-in-life-make-perseverance-your-bosom-friend/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Like with every form of cancer, early detection is what it is all about. I urge everyone to learn the facts about this condition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/like-with-every-form-of-cancer-early-detection-is-what-it-is-all/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfeld deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-midget-bush-and-that-rumsfeld-deserve-only-to-be-beaten-with/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [Could beauty be beaten out, O youth the cities have sent to strike at each other's strength, it is you who have kept her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/could-beauty-be-beaten-out-o-youth-the-cities-have-sent-to-strike-at/) [Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/) > [You could be beaten down by anybody and by everybody and it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks it's how you see yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/you-could-be-beaten-down-by-anybody-and-by-everybody-and-it-doesn-t/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [I know from my own clinical work that when people are beaten and hurt, they numb out so that they cant feel anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/i-know-from-my-own-clinical-work-that-when-people-are-beaten-and-hurt/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [Class clowns are never allowed to date anybody decent, but you don't get beaten up, you're invited to parties, and everybody likes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/class-clowns-are-never-allowed-to-date-anybody-decent-but-you-don-t/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/) [C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/) > [It's always a wake-up call to get beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/it-s-always-a-wake-up-call-to-get-beaten/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) > [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) ## More by Augustus William Hare > [Do, and have done. The former is far the easiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/do-and-have-done-the-former-is-far-the-easiest/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [Temporary madness may be necessary in some cases, to cleanse and renovate the mind; just as a fit of illness is to carry off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/temporary-madness-may-be-necessary-in-some-cases-to-cleanse-and/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [Christianity has carried civilization along with it, whithersoever it has gone; and, as if to show that the latter does not depend on physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/christianity-has-carried-civilization-along-with-it-whithersoever-it/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [The feeling is often the deeper truth, the opinion the more superficial one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/the-feeling-is-often-the-deeper-truth-the-opinion-the-more/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [It is said that Windham, when he came to the end of a speech, often found himself so perplexed by his own subtlety that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/it-is-said-that-windham-when-he-came-to-the-end-of-a-speech-often/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [It is well for us that we are born babies in intellect. Could we understand half what mothers say and do to their infants,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/it-is-well-for-us-that-we-are-born-babies-in-intellect-could-we/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [Some persons take reproof good-humoredly enough, unless you are so unlucky as to hit a sore place. Then they wince and writhe, and start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/some-persons-take-reproof-good-humoredly-enough-unless-you-are-so/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [When the moon, after covering herself with darkness as in sorrow, at last throws off the garments of her widowhood, she does not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/when-the-moon-after-covering-herself-with-darkness-as-in-sorrow-at/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [There is a glare about worldly success which is very apt to dazzle men's eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/there-is-a-glare-about-worldly-success-which-is-very-apt-to-dazzle/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [Philosophy cannot raise the commonalty up to her level: so, if she is to become popular, she must sink to theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/philosophy-cannot-raise-the-commonalty-up-to-her-level-so-if-she-is/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [The body too has its rights; and it will have them: they cannot be trampled on without peril. The body ought to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/the-body-too-has-its-rights-and-it-will-have-them-they-cannot-be/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [Nature is mighty. Art is mighty. Artifice is weak. For nature is the work of a mightier power than man. Art is the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/nature-is-mighty-art-is-mighty-artifice-is-weak-for-nature-is-the/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [They who disbelieve in virtue because man has never been found perfect, might as reasonably deny the sun because it is not always noon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/they-who-disbelieve-in-virtue-because-man-has-never-been-found/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [We look to our last sickness for repentance, unmindful that it is during a recovery men repent, not during a sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/we-look-to-our-last-sickness-for-repentance-unmindful-that-it-is/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [The mind is like a trunk: if well-packed, it holds almost every thing; if ill-packed, next to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/the-mind-is-like-a-trunk-if-well-packed-it-holds-almost-every-thing/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) [Explore all 93 Augustus William Hare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) ## More Beaten quotes > [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [It's always a wake-up call to get beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/it-s-always-a-wake-up-call-to-get-beaten/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) > [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/) [C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/) > [Class clowns are never allowed to date anybody decent, but you don't get beaten up, you're invited to parties, and everybody likes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/class-clowns-are-never-allowed-to-date-anybody-decent-but-you-don-t/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [I know from my own clinical work that when people are beaten and hurt, they numb out so that they cant feel anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/i-know-from-my-own-clinical-work-that-when-people-are-beaten-and-hurt/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [You could be beaten down by anybody and by everybody and it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks it's how you see yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/you-could-be-beaten-down-by-anybody-and-by-everybody-and-it-doesn-t/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Could beauty be beaten out, O youth the cities have sent to strike at each other's strength, it is you who have kept her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/could-beauty-be-beaten-out-o-youth-the-cities-have-sent-to-strike-at/) [Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/) > [The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfeld deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-midget-bush-and-that-rumsfeld-deserve-only-to-be-beaten-with/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [Like with every form of cancer, early detection is what it is all about. I urge everyone to learn the facts about this condition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/like-with-every-form-of-cancer-early-detection-is-what-it-is-all/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [In our culture of constant access and nonstop media, nothing feels more like a curse from God than time in the wilderness. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-martin/in-our-culture-of-constant-access-and-nonstop-media-nothing-feels/) [Jonathan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-martin/) > [A man who is determined never to move out of the beaten road cannot lose his way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-man-who-is-determined-never-to-move-out-of-the-beaten-road-cannot/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I admit that I've been beaten up so many times in films, but we do not fake it - we actually have to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-sik-choi/i-admit-that-i-ve-been-beaten-up-so-many-times-in-films-but-we-do-not/) [Min-sik Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-sik-choi/) > [I do not approve of children being beaten. It is always a confession of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-wentworth/i-do-not-approve-of-children-being-beaten-it-is-always-a-confession/) [Patricia Wentworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-wentworth/) > [If you can feel that staying human is worth while, even when it can't have any practical result whatsoever, you've beaten them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-you-can-feel-that-staying-human-is-worth-while-even-when-it-can-t/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) Browse all 665 Beaten quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you wish a general to be beaten, send him a ream full of instructions; if you wish him to succeed, give him a destination, and bid him conquer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Augustus William Hare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send-him-a-ream-full-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beaten" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send-him-a-ream-full-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/augustus-william-hare-7245_beaten_if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send_1710414.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/augustus-william-hare-7245_beaten_if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send_1710414.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/augustus-william-hare-7245_beaten_if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send_1710414.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you wish a general to be beaten, send him a ream full of instructions; if you wish him to succeed, give…” — Augustus William Hare", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Augustus William Hare", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you wish a general to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send-him-a-ream-full-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/if-you-wish-a-general-to-be-beaten-send-him-a-ream-full-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```