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

The word impossible is not French.

I don't employ Talleyrand when I want a thing done, but only when I want to have the appearance of wanting to do it.

It must be recognized that the real truths of history are hard to discover. Happily, for the most part, they are rather matters of curiosity than of real importance.

Nothing is so contrary to military rules as to make the strength of your army known, either in the orders of the day, in proclamations, or in the newspapers.

The man fitted for affairs and authority never considers individuals, but things and their consequences.

Laws which are consistent in theory often prove chaotic in practice.