Carl von Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz
Carl Philipp Gottfriedvon Clausewitz was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the "moral"and political aspects of war. His most notable work, Vom Kriege, was unfinished at his death. Clausewitz was a realist in many different senses and, while in some respects a romantic, also drew heavily on the rationalist ideas of the European Enlightenment...
NationalityGerman
ProfessionSoldier
Date of Birth1 June 1780
CountryGermany
military blood victory
Blood is the price of victory
judging criticism
Criticism exists only to recognize the truth, not to act as judge.
defense blind aggressiveness
Blind aggressiveness would destroy the attack itself, not the defense.
fighting loss numbers
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.
height daring
There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.
leadership military ambition
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 spite of all obstacles.
cases daring greatest-wisdom
There are cases in which the greatest daring is the greatest wisdom.
strong war long
The object of defense is preservation; and since it is easier to hold ground than to take it, defense is easier than attack. But defense has a passive purpose: preservation; and attack a positive one: conquest.... If defense is the stronger form of war, yet has a negative object, it follows that it should be used only so long as weakness compels, and be abandoned as soon as we are strong enough to pursue a positive object.
war danger provinces
War is the province of danger.
soldier demand heavy
The more a general is accustomed to place heavy demands on his soldiers, the more he can depend on their response.
war opponents violence
War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.
men enemy human-nature
Men are always more inclined to pitch their estimate of the enemy's strength too high than too low, such is human nature.
achievement degrees genius
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'.
art powerful war
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.