No campaign plan survives first contact with the enemy
War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.
Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat an enemy without too much bloodshed, and might imagine this is the true goal of the art of war. Pleasant as it sounds; it is a fallacy that must be exposed: War is such a dangerous business that the mistakes which come from kindness are the very worst.
The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.
Tactics is the art of using troops in battle; strategy is the art of using battles to win the war
The world has a way of undermining complex plans. This is particularly true in fast moving environments. A fast moving environment can evolve more quickly than a complex plan can be adapted to it. By the time you have adapted, the target has changed.
To secure peace is to prepare for war.
We repeat again: strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one’s balance in spite of them. Even with the violence of emotion, judgment and principle must still function like a ship’s compass, which records the slightest variations however rough the sea.
Savage peoples are ruled by passion, civilized peoples by the mind.
No one starts a war--or rather, no one in his sense ought to do so--without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by the war and how he intends to conduct it.
Two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.
To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'
Knowledge must become capability.
War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.
Be audacious and cunning in your plans, firm and persevering in their execution, determined to find a glorious end.
In war, while everything is simple, even the simplest thing is difficult. Difficulties accumulate and produce frictions which no one can comprehend who has not seen war.
If the enemy is to be coerced, you must put him in a situation that is even more unpleasant than the sacrifice you call on him to make. The hardships of the situation must not be merely transient - at least not in appearance. Otherwise, the enemy would not give in, but would wait for things to improve.
The best form of defense is attack.
What do we mean by the defeat of the enemy? Simply the destruction of his forces, whether by death, injury, or any other means-either completely or enough to make him stop fighting. . . . The complete or partial destruction of the enemy must be regarded as the sole object of all engagements. . . . Direct annihilation of the enemy's forces must always be the dominant consideration.
Criticism exists only to recognize the truth, not to act as judge.
Given the same amount of intelligence, timidity will do a thousand times more damage than audacity
The first and most important rule to observe...is to use our entire forces with the utmost energy. The second rule is to concentrate our power as much as possible against that section where the chief blows are to be delivered and to incur disadvantages elsewhere, so that our chances of success may increase at the decisive point. The third rule is never to waste time. Finally, the fourth rule is to follow up our successes with the utmost energy. Only pursuit of the beaten enemy gives the fruits of victory.
The best strategy is always to be very strong.
Talent and genius operate outside the rules, and theory conflicts with practice.
It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.
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