War is a serious game in which a man risks his reputation, his troops, and his country. A sensible man will search himself to know whether or not he is fitted for the trade.

You would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bonfire under her decks? I have no time for such nonsense.

It is often in the audacity, in the steadfastness, of the general that the safety and the conservation of his men is found.

Those who are free from common prejudices acquire others.

Audacity succeeds as often as it fails; in life it has an even chance.

When I give a minister an order, I leave it to him to find the means to carry it out.

A battle sometimes decides everything; and sometimes the most trifling thing decides the fate of a battle.