The difficulty of accurate recognition constitutes one of the most serious sources of friction in war, by making things appear entirely different from what one had expected.

Boldness becomes rarer, the higher the rank.

Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.

Every age has its own kind of war, its own limiting conditions and its own peculiar preconceptions.

War is the realm of uncertainty; three quarters of the factors on which action is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty.

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.

Four elements make up the climate of war: danger, exertion, uncertainty and chance.