All Carl von Clausewitz Quotes
- Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination. Aim
- 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… Courage
- Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior. All
- It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past. Achievement
- Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. Always Longs
- Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain. Contradictory
- War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means. Antiwar
- Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference. Frame
- Politics is the womb in which war develops. Antiwar
- 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… Action
- 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… Aim
- The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy. Backbone
- The political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and the means can never be considered in isolation form their purposes. Considered
- Everything in war is very simple. But the simplest thing is difficult. Difficult
- 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… Act
- War is the domain of physical exertion and suffering. Domain
- Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity. Audacity
- War is not an exercise of the will directed at an inanimate matter. Directed
- War is nothing but a duel on a larger scale. Duel
- Close combat, man to man, is plainly to be regarded as the real basis of combat. Bases
- The great uncertainty of all data in war is because all action, to a certain extent, planned in a mere twilight - like the effect… Action
- Desperate affairs require desperate remedies. Affair
- The more a leader is in the habit of demanding from his men, the surer he will be that his demands will be answered. Answered
- The heart of France lies between Brussels and Paris. Brussels
- 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… Adapted