The Profoundest Truth Of War Is That

The Practical Value Of History Is To Throw The Film Of The Past Through The Material Projector Of The Present On To The Screen Of The Future.

If You Find Your Opponent In A Strong Position Costly To Force, You Should Leave Him A Line Of Retreat As The Quickest Way Of Loosening His Resistance. It Should, Equally, Be A Principle Of Policy, Especially In War, To Provide Your Opponent With A Ladder By Which He Can Climb Down.

Vitality Springs From Diversity -- Which Makes For Real Progress So Long As There Is Mutual Toleration, Based On The Recognition That Worse May Come From An Attempt To Suppress Differences Than From Acceptance Of Them. For This Reason, The Kind Of Peace That Makes Progress Possible Is Best Assured By The Mutual Checks Created By A Balance Of Forces-alike In The Sphere Of Internal Politics And Of International Relations.

It Should Be The Aim Of Grand Strategy To Discover And Pierce The Achilles' Heel Of The Opposing Government's Power To Make War. Strategy, In Turn, Should Seek To Penetrate A Joint In The Harness Of The Opposing Forces. To Apply One's Strength Where The Opponent Is Strong Weakens Oneself Disproportionately To The Effect Attained. To Strike With Strong Effect, One Must Strike At Weakness.

While Hitting One Must Guard ... In Order To Hit With Effect, The Enemy Must Be Taken Off His Guard.