Carl von Clausewitz Quotes

War is the continuation of politics by other means.

War is the ultimate tool of politics.

War is always an option. Peace is not.

I think that war is diplomacy by other means, for sure, and there have been wars that have been fought for righteous reasons. There are wars that have had to be fought, and there will probably continue to be.

Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.

War is not merely a political act but a real political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, a carrying out of the same by other means.

Der Krieg ist nichts als eine Fortsetzung des politischen Verkehrs mit Einmischung anderer Mittel. War is merely the continuation of policy with the admixture of other means.

Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others.

We wanted this war and now we've got it, and I'm not sure that we know what to do with it.

All war represents a failure of diplomacy.

We’re not declaring war. We haven’t declared war since the Second World War. We’re going to war.

In the face of war, politics are adjourned.

War is the continuation of politics." In this sense war is politics and war itself is political action.... It can therefore be said that politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.

War is the only destination to which Washington can lead.

War is only caused through the political intercourse of governments and nations - war is nothing but a continuation of political intercourse with an admixture of other means.

War is politics by other means.

I think when war becomes your life, I think it's very difficult to have the proper perspective to be able to create a fully balanced policy.

Wars are, of course, as a rule to be avoided; but they are far better than certain kinds of peace.

War and preparations for war have acquired a kind of legitimacy.

Either a war has to be fought, or it doesn't.

Appeasement was never a very clever policy, and it should not be our option today.

The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood.

War is failure of diplomacy.

It is easy to get into war, not so easy to get out.

We have lived a long time.... without war... We have had peace when all the world has been in arms... It is … a thing most horrible that we should engage ourself in war with another.... With our own venom... we will destroy ourself.