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 games cards
In the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards.
intelligent men people
Intelligence alone is not courage, we often see that the most intelligent people are irresolute. Since in the rush of events a man is governed by feelings rather than by thought, the intellect needs to arouse the quality of courage, which then supports and sustains it in action.
war intellectual execution
Where execution is dominant, as it is in the individual events of a war whether great or small, then intellectual factors are reduced to a minimum.
special bows faults
Obstinacy is a fault of temperament. Stubbornness and intolerance of contradiction result from a special kind of egotism, which elevates above everything else the pleasure of its autonomous intellect, to which others must bow.
powerful passion men
Of all the passions that inspire a man in a battle, none, we have to admit, is so powerful and so constant as the longing for honor and reknown.
war elements chance
Only the element of chance is needed to make war a gamble, and that element is never absent.
self pressure moments
Self-reliance is the best defence against the pressures of the moment.
use produce absolutes
Where absolute superiority is not attainable, you must produce a relative one at the decisive point by making skillful use ofwhat you have.
twilight fog action
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 and larger than they really are.
enemy planning plans
To be practical, any plan must take account of the enemy's power to frustrate it.
veterans-day war should
War should never be thought of as something autonomous, but always as an instrument of policy.
war learning knowledge
Action in war is like movement in a resistant element. Just as the simplest and most natural of movements, walking, cannot easily be performed in water, so in war, it is difficult for normal efforts to achieve even moderate results.
war military son
The bloody solution of the crisis, the effort for the destruction of the enemy's forces, is the first-born son of war.
military battle produce
Only great and general battles can produce great results