Carl von Clausewitz Men Quotations

As each man's strength gives out, as it no longer responds to his will, the inertia of the whole gradually comes to rest on the commander's will alone. The ardor of his spirit must rekindle the flame of purpose in all others; his inward fire must revive their hope.

We shall not enter into any of the abstruse definitions of war used by publicists. We shall keep to the element of the thing itself, to a duel. War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale.

Great things alone can make a great mind, and petty things will make a petty mind unless a man rejects them as completely alien.

We must, therefore, be confident that the general measures we have adopted will produce the results we expect. most important in this connection is the trust which we must have in our lieutenants. consequently, it is important to choose men on whom we can rely and to put aside all other considerations. if we have made appropriate preparations, taking into account all possible misfortunes, so that we shall not be lost immediately if they occur, we must boldly advance into the shadows of uncertainty.

Any complex activity, if it is to be carried on with any degree of virtuosity, calls for appropriate gifts of intellect and temperament. If they are outstanding and reveal themselves in exceptional achievements, their possessor is called a 'genius'.

Men are always more inclined to pitch their estimate of the enemy's strength too high than too low, such is human nature.

Only the element of chance is needed to make war a gamble, and that element is never absent.

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 reknown.

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.

Four elements make up the climate of war: danger, exertion, uncertainty and chance.

Self-reliance is the best defence against the pressures of the moment.

War is only caused through the political intercourse of governments and nations - war is nothing but a continuation of political intercourse with an admixture of other means.

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.

The more a leader is in the habit of demanding from his men, the surer he will be that his demands will be answered.

...as man under pressure tends to give in to physical and intellectual weakness, only great strength of will can lead to the objective.

To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'

Knowing is different from doing and therefore theory must never be used as norms for a standard, but merely as aids to judgment.

There are very few men-and they are the exceptions-who are able to think and feel beyond the present moment

Close combat, man to man, is plainly to be regarded as the real basis of combat.

Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference.

Responsibility and danger do not tend to free or stimulate the average person's mind- rather the contrary; but wherever they do liberate an individual's judgement and confidence we can be sure that we are in the presence of exceptional ability.

It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.

To discover how much of our resources must be mobilized for war, we must first examine our political aim and that of the enemy. We must gauge the strength and situation of the opposite state. We must gauge the character and abilities of its government and people and do the same in regard to our own. Finally, we must evaluate the political sympathies of other states and the effect the war may have on them.

Timidity is the root of prudence in the majority of men.