By 'intelligence' we mean every sort of information about the enemy and his country - the basis, in short, of our own plans and operations.

The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing practical to alter or deflect the impulse to destroy the enemy, which is central to the very idea of war.

A prince or general can best demonstrate his genius by managing a campaign exactly to suit his objectives and his resources, doing neither too much nor too little.

The very nature of interactions is bound to make it unpredictable.

By 'intelligence' we mean every sort of information about the enemy and his country - the basis, in short, of our own plans and operations.

War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.

To discover how much of our resources must be mobilized for war, we must first examine our political aim and that of the enemy. We must gauge the strength and situation of the opposite state. We must gauge the character and abilities of its government and people and do the same in regard to our own. Finally, we must evaluate the political sympathies of other states and the effect the war may have on them.