War is the province of danger.

We must, therefore, be confident that the general measures we have adopted will produce the results we expect. most important in this connection is the trust which we must have in our lieutenants. consequently, it is important to choose men on whom we can rely and to put aside all other considerations. if we have made appropriate preparations, taking into account all possible misfortunes, so that we shall not be lost immediately if they occur, we must boldly advance into the shadows of uncertainty.

Knowing is different from doing and therefore theory must never be used as norms for a standard, but merely as aids to judgment.

War therefore is an act of violence to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.

Where absolute superiority is not attainable, you must produce a relative one at the decisive point by making skillful use ofwhat you have.

The only situation a commander can know fully is his own: his opponent's he can know only from unreliable intelligence.

Beauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas.