In war more than anywhere else, things do not turn out as we expect.

I shall proceed from the simple to the complex. But in war more than in any other subject we must begin by looking at the nature of the whole; for here more than elsewhere the part and the whole must always be thought of together.

It should be noted that the seeds of wisdom that are to bear fruit in the intellect are sown less by critical studies and learned monographs than by insights, broad impressions, and flashes of intuition.

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.

In war the will is directed at an animate object that reacts.

War is nothing but a continuation of politics with the admixture of other means.

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.