A fool is only troublesome, a pedant insupportable.

The greatest ornament of an illustrious life is modesty and humility, which go a great way in the character even of the most exalted princes.

If the art of war were nothing but the art of avoiding risks, glory would become the prey of mediocre minds.... I have made all the calculations; fate will do the rest.

An army which cannot be reenforced is already defeated.

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

In my youth I, too, entertained some illusions; but I soon recovered from them.

The affairs of war, like the destiny of battles, as well as empires, hang upon a spiders thread.