Martin Van Creveld Quotes

Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never peril.

Know the enemy and know yourself.

The Army was always big on Clausewitz, the Prussian; the Navy on Alfred Thayer Mahan, the American; and the Air Force on Giulio Douhet, the Italian. But the Marine Corps has always been more Eastern-oriented. I am much more comfortable with Sun-tzu and his approach to warfare.

Strategy is the most important department of the art of war, and strategical skill is the highest and rarest function of military genius.

Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically.

There's no way the writing staff of 'Game of Thrones' haven't read 'The Art of War.' There's definitely an influence on 'Game of Thrones' from this book in both a general way and on the character of Lord Baelish and his strategies.

A commander in chief with military experience might be able to prod a conservative military into thinking more imaginatively.

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

The whole art of war consists of guessing at what is on the other side of the hill.

It is true that we are ignorant of the art of war. Yet we know when it is wise or prudent to declare it.

When I was researching my book 'The 33 Strategies of War', I studied Napoleon extensively and I found myself wanting to ask Napoleon questions about things he did, and if was I interpreting his actions correctly.

It's important to study and understand your responsibilities within any profession, but it's particularly important for military officers to read, think, discuss, and write about the problem of war and warfare so they can understand not just the changes in the character of warfare but also the continuities.

In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.

[James Mattis] is a student of history. He's a strategic thinker.

No matter how enmeshed a commander becomes in the elaboration of his own thoughts, it is sometimes necessary to take the enemy into account.

It is imperative to master the principles of the art of war and learn to be unmoved in mind even in the heat of the battle.

I have spent my life in the study of military strength as a deterrent to war, and in the character of military armaments necessary to win a war. The study of the first of these questions is still profitable, but we are rapidly getting to the point that no war can be won.

To be a successful soldier, you must know history.

For me, Sun Tzu's statement that military force is based upon deception is an extraordinary statement.

I think that if you don't think we're in a war that you can't win the war.

If you want to learn the craft of war, ponder over this book. The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread. You must practice constantly.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries you have these great nation states hurling their young men at one another. The victory was really going to rest on who could do the best job of bringing up their kids to become efficient and effective soldiers. That's pretty grandiose, I guess, but I do think that, and thank God it's been the armies of democracy that have emerged from this as the triumphant armies.

Any clever person can make plans for winning a war if he has no responsibility for carrying them out.

If you wish for peace, understand war.

If you don’t have a good idea of what to do next after using military force, then don’t use it in the first place.