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.
More Author Quotes
- Politics is the womb in which war develops. β¨ Carl von Clausewitz, Michael Howard, Peter Paret (1989). On War, p.149, Princeton University Press
- If the leader is filled with high ambition and if he pursues his aims with audacity and strength of will, he will reach them in spite of all obstacles. β¨ Carl von Clausewitz (2012). Principles of War β¦ βΆ
- Our knowledge of circumstances has increased, but our uncertainty, instead of having diminished, has only increased. The reason of this is, that we do not gain all our experience at once, but by degr β¦ βΆ
- Boldness governed by superior intellect is the mark of a hero. β¨ Carl von Clausewitz (2008). On War, p.192, Princeton University Press
- Timidity is the root of prudence in the majority of men. β¨ Carl von Clausewitz (2008). On War, p.190, Princeton University Press
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