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Quote by Carl von Clausewitz

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Carl von Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz

Carl von Clausewitz, born on July 1, 1780, and died on November 16, 1831, was a Prussian military theorist and historian. He is considered one of the founders of modern military theory. Clausewitz's most famous work, 'On War,' has had a profound impact on military strategy and warfare theory to this day. more

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“The object of defense is preservation; and since it is easier to hold ground than to take it, defense is easier than attack. But defense has a passive purpose: preservation; and attack a positive one: conquest.... If defense is the stronger form of war, yet has a negative object, it follows that it should be used only so long as weakness compels, and be abandoned as soon as we are strong enough to pursue a positive object.”

IfsShouldLongWarEnoughFormUsedPurposeStrongObjectsEasierWeaknessNegativeStrongerDefensePursueAbandonedPassivePreservationConquestStrong Enough
Author:Carl von Clausewitz
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“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.”

PeopleThinkingWayKindArtWarMightCoursesSoundGoalMistakeEnemyKindnessToo MuchImagineWorstDangerousDefeatPleasantExposedArt Of WarHeartedFallacyIngeniousBloodshedKind Hearted
Book:On War
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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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