Carl von Clausewitz Quotes About Enemies

Quotes about: Enemies

• The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Dream, Perfect, Enemy

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

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Enemy, Victory, Movement

• Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat an enemy without too much bloodshed, and might imagine this is the true goal of the art of war. Pleasant as it sounds; it is a fallacy that must be exposed: War is such a dangerous business that the mistakes which come from kindness are the very worst.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Art, Kindness, War

  Carl von Clausewitz, Michael Howard, Peter Paret (1989). “On War”, p.75, Princeton University Press

• 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

  Blow, Giving, Enemy

• If you entrench yourself behind strong fortifications, you compel the enemy seek a solution elsewhere.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Strong, Military, Enemy

• If the enemy is to be coerced, you must put him in a situation that is even more unpleasant than the sacrifice you call on him to make. The hardships of the situation must not be merely transient - at least not in appearance. Otherwise, the enemy would not give in, but would wait for things to improve.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Military, Sacrifice, Giving

  Carl von Clausewitz, Michael Howard, Peter Paret (1989). “On War”, p.77, Princeton University Press

• The bloody solution of the crisis, the effort for the destruction of the enemy's forces, is the first-born son of war.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Military, War, Son

  Carl von Clausewitz (2006). “Selections from On war”

• Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination. The bloody solution of the crisis, the effort for the destruction of the enemy's forces, is the first-born son of war. Only great and general battles can produce great results. Blood is the price of victory.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Determination, Military, War

• To be practical, any plan must take account of the enemy's power to frustrate it.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Enemy, Planning, Plans

• 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.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  War, Character, Government

• The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing practical to alter or deflect the impulse to destroy the enemy, which is central to the very idea of war.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  War, Civilization, Ideas

  Carl von Clausewitz (2008). “On War”, p.76, Princeton University Press

• Surprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical superiority is quite distinct from numerical superiority in general: it is the most powerful medium in the art of war.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Art, Powerful, War

  Carl von Clausewitz (2008). “On War”, p.360, Princeton University Press

• What do we mean by the defeat of the enemy? Simply the destruction of his forces, whether by death, injury, or any other means-either completely or enough to make him stop fighting. . . . The complete or partial destruction of the enemy must be regarded as the sole object of all engagements. . . . Direct annihilation of the enemy's forces must always be the dominant consideration.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Mean, Fighting, Enemy

  Carl von Clausewitz, Michael Howard, Peter Paret (2007). “On War”, p.26, Oxford University Press, USA

• No campaign plan survives first contact with the enemy

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Enemy, Campaigns, Firsts

• By 'intelligence' we mean every sort of information about the enemy and his country - the basis, in short, of our own plans and operations.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  Country, Mean, Enemy

  Carl von Clausewitz (2008). “On War”, p.117, Princeton University Press

• 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

  Men, Enemy, Human Nature

  Carl von Clausewitz (2008). “On War”, p.85, Princeton University Press

• [The cause of inaction in war] ... is the imperfection of human perception and judgment which is more pronounced in war than anywhere else. We hardly know accurately our own situation at any particular moment while the enemy's, which is concealed from us, must be deduced from very little evidence.

  Carl von Clausewitz

  War, Imperfection, Perception

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