To Secure Peace Is To Prepare For

To Secure Peace Is To Prepare For War.

It Is Paltry Philosophy If In The Old-fashioned Way One Lays Down Rules And Principles In Total Disregard Of Moral Values . As Soon As These Appear One Regards Them As Exceptions, Which Gives Them A Certain Scientific Status, And Thus Makes Them Into Rules. Or Again One May Appeal To Genius , Which Is Above All Rules; Which Amounts To Admitting That Rules Are Not Only Made For Idiots , But Are Idiotic In Themselves.

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.

If We Read History With An Open Mind, We Cannot Fail To Conclude That, Among All The Military Virtues, The Energetic Conduct Of War Has Always Contributed Most To Glory And Success.

We Must, Therefore, Be Confident That The General Measures We Have Adopted Will Produce The Results We Expect. Most Important In This Connection Is The Trust Which We Must Have In Our Lieutenants. Consequently, It Is Important To Choose Men On Whom We Can Rely And To Put Aside All Other Considerations. If We Have Made Appropriate Preparations, Taking Into Account All Possible Misfortunes, So That We Shall Not Be Lost Immediately If They Occur, We Must Boldly Advance Into The Shadows Of Uncertainty.