Author

Carl von Clausewitz

Posthumous or imagined likeness of Carl von Clausewitz.
Posthumous or imagined likeness of Carl von Clausewitz. Source · Public domain

Frequently Cited

“War is not merely a political act, but also a real political instrument, a continuation of political commerce, a carrying out of the same by other means”
On War, Book I, Ch. 1, §24 · Reader
“Everything is very simple in War, but the simplest thing is difficult”
On War, Book I, Ch. 7, Friction in War · Reader
On War

Carl von Clausewitz

1832 · 19th Century · Philosophy

On War (Vom Kriege) is an unfinished philosophical inquiry into the nature of war, written by a Prussian staff officer who had lived through the Napoleonic transformation of warfare. It is organised in eight books, but Clausewitz left a note in 1827 saying that only the first chapter of Book I satisfied him, and he was revising the whole when he died.

medium medical relevanceWar ViolencePower / PoliticsLeadership