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Carl von Clausewitz

Carl von Clausewitz Quotes

Military Historian

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Famous Carl von Clausewitz Quotes

“In short, absolute, so-called mathematical, factors never find a firm basis in military calculations. From the very start, there is an interplay of possibilities, probabilities, good luck and bad, that weaves its way throughout the length and breadth of the tapestry. In the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards.”

WayHumansWarWholeGamesMilitaryPossibilityActivityBasesAbsolutesLuckFactorsCardsMathematicalRangeFirmLengthProbabilityGood LuckCalculationsHuman ActivityBreadthTapestry
Author:Carl von Clausewitz
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“War is the realm of uncertainty; three-quarters of the factors on which action in war is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty. ... war is the realm of chance. No other human activity gives it greater scope; no other has such incessant and varied dealings with this intruder. Chance makes everything more uncertain and interferes with the whole course of events.”

GivingHumansWarWholeActionThreeCoursesChanceGreaterEventsActivityFactorsUncertaintyRealmsQuartersUncertainInterfereFogScopeHuman ActivityDealingsIncessantIntruders
Book:On War
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“In 1793 such a force as no one had any conception of made its appearance. War had again suddenly become an affair of the people, and that of a people numbering thirty millions, every one of whom regarded himself as a citizen of the State... By this participation of the people in the war... a whole Nation with its natural weight came into the scale.”

PeopleMadeWarStatesWholeForceNationsNaturalMillionsCitizensWeightAffairAppearanceScalesThirtyConceptionParticipation
Author:Carl von Clausewitz
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“But the main point is that soldiers, after fighting for some time, are apt to be like burned-out cinders. They have shot off their ammunition, their numbers have been diminished, their strength and their morale are drained, and possibly their courage has vanished as well. As an organic whole, quite apart from their loss in numbers, they are far from being what they were before the action; and thus the amount of reserves spent is an accurate measure on the loss of morale.”

WellsHas BeensWholeActionFightingLossNumbersAmountShotsSoldierAccurateBurnedReservesMoraleDrainedAmmunitionBurned Out
Book:On War
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