All action takes place, so to speak, in a kind of twilight, which like a fog or moonlight, often tends to make things seem grotesque and larger than they really are.

The best strategy is always to be very strong.

Friction is the only concept that more or less corresponds to the factors that distinguish real war from war on paper.

In War, the young soldier is very apt to regard unusual fatigues as the consquence of faults, mistakes, and embarrassment in the conduct of the whole, and to become distressed and depondent as a consequence. This would not happen if he had been prepared for this beforehand by exercises in peace.

Boldness governed by superior intellect is the mark of a hero.

The more a general is accustomed to place heavy demands on his soldiers, the more he can depend on their response.

Given the same amount of intelligence, timidity will do a thousand times more damage than audacity