The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.

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

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.

The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.

Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain.

The political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and the means can never be considered in isolation form their purposes.

War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means.