Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes

If a military mission has no guide who knows the inside information of the opponents, it will likely have to retreat half of the way.

A battle can be won before it's ever fought by choosing the right ground.

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.

Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins - this is the rule of armed struggle.

The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side.

In war, the policy of least exertion always risks being paid for dearly.

There is something about military history that fascinates me. You find that many battles have been lost by people with very good military background when they fought battles in a battleground they didn't understand. I have seen that in business, too. You have to look at a marketplace like a battle-ground.

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.

Of your own indefatigable labor from early dawn and of your explicit instructions, that the batteries should reserve their ammunition, until the grand charge should commence, for which the enemy were undoubtedly preparing.

Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head.

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

Successful organizations, including the Military, have learned that the higher the risk, the more necessary it is to engage everyone's commitment and intelligence.

A leader should not get too far in front of his troops or he will be shot in the ass.

The enemy would not have been in danger if Mr. Stanton had been in the field.

In cases of defense, it is best to weigh the enemy more than he seems.

You want to win the wars you fight. That’s why you have to pick your wars carefully.

Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

The secret of success in battle lies often not so much in the use of one's own strength but in the exploitation of the other side's weaknesses.

Advantage is a better soldier than rashness.

The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage and does not demand it from his men.

Hostile armies may face each other for years, striving for the victory which is decided in a single day. This being so, to remain in ignorance of the enemy's condition simply because one grudges the outlay of a hundred ounces of silver in honors and emoluments, is the height of inhumanity.

In battles two things are usually required of the Commander-in-Chief: to make a good plan for his army and, secondly, to keep a strong reserve.

In strategy the longest way round is often the shortest way there- a direct approach to the object exhausts the attacker and hardens the resistance by compression, whereas an indirect approach loosens the defender's hold by upsetting his balance.

The success of our surprise attack on Pearl Harbor will prove to be the Waterloo of the war to follow. For this reason the Imperial Navy is massing the cream of its strength in ships and planes to assure success.