Inspirational Quotes on War

“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”

“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”

“who wishes to fight must first count the cost”

“To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”

“The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad, For all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad.”

“The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”

“Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.”

“All wars are civil wars because all men are brothers... Each one owes infinitely more to the human race than to the particular country in which he was born.”

“One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying. A persistent schizophrenia leaves so many of us tragically divided against ourselves. On the one hand, we proudly profess certain sublime and noble principles, but on the other hand, we sadly practise the very antithesis of these principles. How often are our lives characterised by a high blood pressure of creeds and an anaemia of deeds! We talk eloquently about our commitment to the principles of Christianity, and yet our lives are saturated with the practices of paganism. We proclaim our devotion to democracy, but we sadly practise the very opposite of the democratic creed. We talk passionately about peace, and at the same time we assiduously prepare for war. We make our fervent pleas for the high road of justice, and then we tread unflinchingly the low road of injustice. This strange dichotomy, this agonising gulf between the and the , represents the tragic theme of man's earthly pilgrimage.”

“If your opponent is of choleric temper,  seek to irritate him.  Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”

“Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.”

“There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.”

“Great results, can be achieved with small forces.”

“Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”

“Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.”

“Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.”

“Bravery without forethought, causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a mad bull.  Such an opponent, must not be encountered with brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain.”

“mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy”

“Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.”