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War is the province of danger, and therefore courage above all things is the first quality of a warrior.

War is the province of uncertainty: three-fourths of those things upon which action in War must be calculated, are hidden more or less in the clouds of great uncertainty.

Our knowledge of circumstances has increased, but our uncertainty, instead of having diminished, has only increased.

Resolution is an act of courage in single instances, and if it becomes a characteristic trait, it is a habit of the mind.

Mere intelligence is still not courage, for we often see the cleverest people devoid of resolution.

There are persons who possess the keenest perception for the most difficult problems, who are also not fearful of responsibility, and yet in cases of difficulty cannot come to a resolution.

Everything is very simple in War, but the simplest thing is difficult.

These difficulties accumulate and produce a friction which no man can imagine exactly who has not seen War

Although our intellect always feels itself urged towards clearness and certainty, still our mind often feels itself attracted by uncertainty.

Theory must also take into account the human element; it must accord a place to courage, to boldness, even to rashness.