He who cannot look over a battlefield with a dry eye, causes the death of many men uselessly.

The first quality of the commander-in-chief is a cool head to receive a correct impression of things. He should not allow himself to be confused by either good or bad news.

A commander in chief ought to say to himself several times a day: If the enemy should appear on my front, on my right, on my left, what would I do? And if the question finds him uncertain, he is not well placed, he is not as he should be, and he should remedy it.

I am a soldier and accustomed to risking my life every day. I am full of the fire of youth; I cannot act with the restraint of an accomplished diplomat.

History is the invention of historians.

Unavailable wars are always just.

It is not necessary to prohibit or encourage oddities of conduct which are not harmful.