Appraisal Quote by 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.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: On War, Book I, 1832
Assessing foreign political motives and war impacts is vast; only exceptional insight can grasp it, while methodical analysis alone fails.
In simple terms: Understanding other nations' war-related motives needs genius insight, not just systematic study.
Key Takeaway
Seek deep strategic intuition.
Themes
war
politics
strategy
analysis
Mood
cautious
analytical
Type
strategic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- diplomatic negotiations
- military planning
- policy formulation
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
geopolitics
intelligence
complexity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can leaders balance intuition with data?
- What safeguards prevent misreading foreign motives?
A Different Perspective
Even geniuses can misinterpret; intuition may be biased.
![“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.” quote by Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c35/carl-von-clausewitz-2060_activity_rather-than-comparing-war-to-art-we-coul_21236.jpg)
