Rashness is oftener the resort of cowardice than of courage.

If you believe that you will believe anything.

Next to a battle lost, the greatest misery is a battle gained.

There are no manifestos like cannon and musketry.

All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don't know by what you do; that's what I called 'guess what was at the other side of the hill'.

The French system of conscription brings together a fair sample of all classes; ours is composed of the scum of the earth - the mere scum of the earth. It is only wonderful that we should be able to make so much out of them afterwards.

The hardest thing of all for a soldier is to retreat.