The more physical the activity, the less the difficulties will be. The more the activity becomes intellectual and turns into motives which exercise a determining influence on the commander's will, the more the difficulties will increase.

Intelligence alone is not courage, we often see that the most intelligent people are irresolute. Since in the rush of events a man is governed by feelings rather than by thought, the intellect needs to arouse the quality of courage, which then supports and sustains it in action.

War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means.

Only the element of chance is needed to make war a gamble, and that element is never absent.

War is not an exercise of the will directed at an inanimate matter.

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

This tremendous friction which cannot, as in mechanics, be reduced to a few points, is everywhere in contact with chance, and brings about effects that cannot be measured just because they are largely due to chance.