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
hero mark intellect
Boldness governed by superior intellect is the mark of a hero.
men mind aliens
Great things alone can make a great mind, and petty things will make a petty mind unless a man rejects them as completely alien.
military war objects
In war the will is directed at an animate object that reacts.
audacity damage given
Given the same amount of intelligence, timidity will do a thousand times more damage than audacity
enemy campaigns firsts
No campaign plan survives first contact with the enemy
men roots majority
Timidity is the root of prudence in the majority of men.
war simple together
I shall proceed from the simple to the complex. But in war more than in any other subject we must begin by looking at the nature of the whole; for here more than elsewhere the part and the whole must always be thought of together.
wisdom intuition fruit
It should be noted that the seeds of wisdom that are to bear fruit in the intellect are sown less by critical studies and learned monographs than by insights, broad impressions, and flashes of intuition.
philosophy war would-be
[...] to introduce into the philosophy of war itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity
peace war womb
Politics is the womb in which war develops.
courage war military
Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.
war military uncertain
Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain.
peace war limits
War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost limits.
war affair desperate
Desperate affairs require desperate remedies.