The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish ... the kind of war on which they are embarking.
Carl von ClausewitzSurprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical superiority is quite distinct from numerical superiority in general: it is the most powerful medium in the art of war.
Carl von ClausewitzBeauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas.
Carl von ClausewitzWe repeat again: strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining oneโs balance in spite of them. Even with the violence of emotion, judgment and principle must still function like a shipโs compass, which records the slightest variations however rough the sea.
Carl von Clausewitz