Carl von Clausewitz was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the ‘moral’ (meaning, in modern terms, psychological) and political aspects of war. His most notable work, Vom Kriege (On War), was unfinished at his death. Clausewitz was a realist in many different senses and, while in some respects a romantic, also drew heavily on the rationalist ideas of the European Enlightenment. May his quotes inspire you to take action (peaceful action) so that you may live your dreams.
1. “All action takes place, so to speak, in a kind of twilight, which like a fog or moonlight, often tends to make things seem grotesque and larger than they really are.” Carl von Clausewitz
2. “To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power and movement. The enemy’s ‘Center of Gravity’.” Carl von Clausewitz
3. “Savage peoples are ruled by passion, civilized peoples by the mind.” Carl von Clausewitz
4. “The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish the kind of war on which they are embarking.” Carl von Clausewitz
5. “The Conqueror is always a lover of peace: he would prefer to take over our country unopposed.” Carl von Clausewitz
6. “Courage, above all things is the first quality of a warrior.” Carl von Clausewitz
7. “Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.” Carl von Clausewitz
8. “The political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and the means can never be considered in isolation from their purposes.” Carl von Clausewitz
9. “The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.” Carl von Clausewitz
10. “Talent and genius operate outside the rules, and theory conflicts with practice.” Carl von Clausewitz
11. “Men are always more inclined to pitch their estimate of the enemy’s strength too high than too low, such is human nature.” Carl von Clausewitz
12. “The world has a way of undermining complex plans. This is particularly true in fast moving environments. A fast-moving environment can evolve more quickly than a complex plan can be adapted to it. By the time you have adapted, the target has changed.” Carl von Clausewitz
13. “Intelligence alone is not courage; we often see that the most intelligent people are irresolute. Since in the rush of events a man is governed by feelings rather than by thought, the intellect needs to arouse the quality of courage, which then supports and sustains it in action.” Carl von Clausewitz
14. “Knowledge must become capability.” Carl von Clausewitz
15. “The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.” Carl von Clausewitz
16. “The difficulty of accurate recognition constitutes one of the most serious sources of friction in war, by making things appear entirely different from what one had expected.” Carl von Clausewitz
17. “Just as some plants bear fruit only if they don’t shoot up too high, so in practical arts the leaves and flowers of theory must be pruned and the plant kept close to its proper soil- experience.” Carl von Clausewitz
18. “Two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.” Carl von Clausewitz
19. “Given the same amount of intelligence, timidity will do a thousand times more damage than audacity.” Carl von Clausewitz
20. “Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.” Carl von Clausewitz
21. “To secure peace is to prepare for war.” Carl von Clausewitz
22. “Blind aggressiveness would destroy the attack itself, not the defence.” Carl von Clausewitz
23. “The more a leader is in the habit of demanding from his men; the surer he will be that his demands will be answered.” Carl von Clausewitz
24. “The first and most important rule to observe is to use our entire forces with the utmost energy. The second rule is to concentrate our power as much as possible against that section where the chief blows are to be delivered and to incur disadvantages elsewhere, so that our chances of success may increase at the decisive point. The third rule is never to waste time. Finally, the fourth rule is to follow up our successes with the utmost energy. Only pursuit of the beaten enemy gives the fruits of victory.” Carl von Clausewitz
25. “Strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one’s balance in spite of them.” Carl von Clausewitz
26. “A general in time of war is constantly bombarded by reports both true and false; by errors arising from fear or negligence or hastiness; by disobedience born of right or wrong interpretations, of ill will; of a proper or mistaken sense of duty; of laziness; or of exhaustion; and by accident that nobody could have foreseen. In short, he is exposed to countless impressions, most of them disturbing, few of them encouraging. If a man were to yield to these pressures, he would never complete an operation.” Carl von Clausewitz
27. “Self-reliance is the best defence against the pressures of the moment.” Carl von Clausewitz
28. “Whoever does great things with small means has successfully reached the goal.” Carl von Clausewitz
29. “To be practical, any plan must take account of the enemy’s power to frustrate it.” Carl von Clausewitz
30. “Knowing is different from doing and therefore theory must never be used as norms for a standard, but merely as aids to judgment.” Carl von Clausewitz
31. “Of all the passions that inspire a man in a battle, none, we have to admit, is so powerful and so constant as the longing for honor and renown.” Carl von Clausewitz
32. “Every age has its own kind of war, its own limiting conditions and its own peculiar preconceptions.” Carl von Clausewitz
33. “There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.” Carl von Clausewitz
34. “With uncertainty in one scale, courage and self-confidence should be thrown into the other to correct the balance. The greater they are, the greater the margin that can be left for accidents.” Carl von Clausewitz
35. “Be audacious and cunning in your plans, firm, and persevering in their execution, determined to find a glorious end.“ Carl von Clausewitz
