Strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one's balance in spite of them.

A certain grasp of military affairs is vital for those in charge of general policy.

There are very few men-and they are the exceptions-who are able to think and feel beyond the present moment

War is a conflict of great interests which is settled by bloodshed, and only in that is it different from others.

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.

Two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.

Modern wars are seldom fought without hatred between nations; this serves more or less as a substitute for hatred between individuals.