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
war violence chance
War is...a trinity of violence, chance, and reason.
men thinking principles
Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference.
self-confidence balance should
With uncertainty in one scale, courage and self-confidence should be thrown into the other to correct the balance. The greater they are, the greater the margin that can be left for accidents.
real war men
Close combat, man to man, is plainly to be regarded as the real basis of combat.
men thinking able
There are very few men-and they are the exceptions-who are able to think and feel beyond the present moment
military defense form
The best form of defense is attack.
determination expression mind
Our knowledge of circumstances has increased, but our uncertainty, instead of having diminished, has only increased. The reason of this is, that we do not gain all our experience at once, but by degrees; so our determinations continue to be assailed incessantly by fresh experience; and the mind, if we may use the expression, must always be under arms.
war lines campaigns
There is nothing more common than to find considerations of supply affecting the strategic lines of a campaign and a war.
mean goal doe
Whoever does great things with small means has successfully reached the goal.
enemy victory movement
To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'
war simple friction
Everything in war is very simple. But the simplest thing is difficult.
strong military enemy
If you entrench yourself behind strong fortifications, you compel the enemy seek a solution elsewhere.
clarity absolute-certainty intellect
Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.
witty powerful humorous
The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.