Top 25 Quotes by Carl von Clausewitz

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.

War is the province of danger.

War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.

The more a general is accustomed to place heavy demands on his soldiers, the more he can depend on their response.

Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.

To secure peace is to prepare for war.

The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.

War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means.

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.