The downfall of civilized states tends to come not from the direct assaults of foes, but from internal decay combined with the consequences of exhaustion in war.

In reality, it si more fruitful to wound than to kill. While the dead man lies still, counting only one man less, the wounded man is a progressive drain upon his side.

To foster the people's willing spirit is often as important as to possess the more concrete forms of power.

Loss of hope rather than loss of life is what decides the issues of war. But helplessness induces hopelessness.

The practical value of history is to throw the film of the past through the material projector of the present on to the screen of the future.

The military weapon is but one of the means that serve the purposes of war: one out of the assortment which grand strategy can employ.

If you find your opponent in a strong position costly to force, you should leave him a line of retreat as the quickest way of loosening his resistance. It should, equally, be a principle of policy, especially in war, to provide your opponent with a ladder by which he can climb down.