Helmuth von Moltke Quotes
Any order that can be misunderstood, will be misunderstood
The principle seems to have been generalized from the military field to include executive orders, diplomatic instructions, policy statements and the like.
Helmuth von Moltke, 1800-1891, German Field Marshall & Chief of General Staff, “First Principle of Orders”
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Graf Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke was a Prussian field marshal. The chief of staff of the Prussian Army for thirty years, he is regarded as the creator of a new, more modern method of directing armies in the field. He commanded troops in Europe and the Middle East, commanding during the Second Schleswig War, Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War. He is described as embodying "Prussian military organization and tactical genius." He was fascinated with railways and pioneered their military usage. He is often referred to as Moltke the Elder to distinguish him from his nephew Helmuth Johann Ludwig von Moltke, who commanded the German Army at the outbreak of World War I.
