If You Entrench Yourself Behind Strong Fortifications,

If The Enemy Is To Be Coerced, You Must Put Him In A Situation That Is Even More Unpleasant Than The Sacrifice You Call On Him To Make. The Hardships Of The Situation Must Not Be Merely Transient - At Least Not In Appearance. Otherwise, The Enemy Would Not Give In, But Would Wait For Things To Improve.

Responsibility And Danger Do Not Tend To Free Or Stimulate The Average Person's Mind- Rather The Contrary; But Wherever They Do Liberate An Individual's Judgement And Confidence We Can Be Sure That We Are In The Presence Of Exceptional Ability.

In Short, Absolute, So-called Mathematical, Factors Never Find A Firm Basis In Military Calculations. From The Very Start, There Is An Interplay Of Possibilities, Probabilities, Good Luck And Bad, That Weaves Its Way Throughout The Length And Breadth Of The Tapestry. In The Whole Range Of Human Activities, War Most Closely Resembles A Game Of Cards.

Rather Than Comparing [war] To Art We Could More Accurately Compare It To Commerce, Which Is Also A Conflict Of Human Interests And Activities; And It Is Still Closer To Politics, Which In Turn May Be Considered As A Kind Of Commerce On A Larger Scale.

A General Who Allows Himself To Be Decisively Defeated In An Extended Mountain Position Deserves To Be Court-martialled.