Whenever armed forces . . . are used, the idea of combat must be present. . . . The end for which a soldier is recruited, clothed, armed, and trained, the whole object of his sleeping, eating, drinking, and marching is simply that he should fight at the right place and the right time.

The deduction of effect from cause is often blocked by some insuperable extrinsic obstacle: the true causes may be quite unknown. Nowhere in life is this so common as in war, where the facts are seldom fully known and the underlying motives even less so.

The best strategy is always to be very strong.

...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective.

It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.

Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.

War is...a trinity of violence, chance, and reason.