Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat the enemy without… — Carl von Clausewitz
Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat the 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 mistakes that come from kindness are the very worst.
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Strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one’s balance in spite of them. Even with the violence of emotion, judgment and principle must still function like a ship’s compass, which records the slightest variations however rough the sea.
...only a fraction of book learning will seep into practical life anyhow; and the more foolish the theory, the less of it.
Men are always more inclined to pitch their estimate of the enemy's strength too high than too low, such is human nature.
