War quotes

War

17K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.

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War quotes (page 88 of 853)

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"With regard to precipitous heights, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"Those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take, and with lures of ostensible profit they await him in strength."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"It is imperative to contest all factions for complete victory, so the army is not garrisoned and the profit can be total. This is the law of strategic siege."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"Whoever is the first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy will be fresh for the fight... Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy... By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"If this is long delayed, weapons are blunted and morale depressed."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"The general must be the first in the toils and fatigues of the army. In the heat of summer he does not spread his parasol nor in the cold of winter don thick clothing. In dangerous places he must dismount and walk. He waits until the army's wells have been dug and only then drinks; until the army's food is cooked before he eats; until the army's fortifications have been completed, to shelter himself."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"War is a matter of vital importance to the state; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"To perceive victory when it is known to all is not really skilful... It does not take much strength to lift a hair, it does not take sharp eyes to see the sun and moon, it does not take sharp ears to hear the thunderclap."

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Sun Tzu Military Strategist
War

"When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce."

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Kanye West Rapper, Producer, Fashion Designer
War

"I was wearing like, a Juicy Couture men's polo shirt. We weren't there, like, ready for war."

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J. F. C. Fuller Military Strategist
War

"In the World War [WW1] nothing was more dreadful to witness than a chain of men starting with a battalion commander and ending with an army commander sitting in telephone boxes, improvised or actual, talking, talking, talking, in place of leading, leading, leading."

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H. G. Wells Writer
War

"Once the command of the air is obtained by one of the contending armies, the war becomes a conflict between a seeing host and one that is blind."

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Oliver Stone Filmmaker, Screenwriter
War

"I've been to war, and it's not easy to kill. It's bloody and messy and totally horrifying, and the consequences are serious."

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Napoleon Bonaparte Military Leader, Emperor
War

"There are in Europe many good generals, but they see too many things at once. I see one thing, namely the enemy's main body. I try to crush it, confident that secondary matters will then settle themselves."

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Napoleon Bonaparte Military Leader, Emperor
War

"Charges of cavalry are equally useful at the beginning, the middle and the end of a battle. They should be made always, if possible, on the flanks of the infantry, especially when the latter is engaged in front."

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