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I shall proceed from the simple to the complex. But in war more than in any other subject we must begin by looking at the nature of the whole; for here more than elsewhere the part and the whole must always be thought of together.

Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.

The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.

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.

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

Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult. The difficulties accumulate and end by producing a kind of friction that is inconceivable unless one has experienced war.

Many intelligence reports in war are contradictory; even more are false, and most are uncertain.

The difficulty of accurate recognition constitutes one of the most serious sources of friction in war … War has a way of masking the stage with scenery crudely daubed with fearsome appartions.

Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior.

War is nothing more than the continuation of politics by other means.