Knowledge Must Become Capability.

Only The Element Of Chance Is Needed To Make War A Gamble, And That Element Is Never Absent.

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.

Principles And Rules Are Intended To Provide A Thinking Man With A Frame Of Reference.

The Object Of Defense Is Preservation; And Since It Is Easier To Hold Ground Than To Take It, Defense Is Easier Than Attack. But Defense Has A Passive Purpose: Preservation; And Attack A Positive One: Conquest.... If Defense Is The Stronger Form Of War, Yet Has A Negative Object, It Follows That It Should Be Used Only So Long As Weakness Compels, And Be Abandoned As Soon As We Are Strong Enough To Pursue A Positive Object.

The First And Most Important Rule To Observe...is To Use Our Entire Forces With The Utmost Energy. The Second Rule Is To Concentrate Our Power As Much As Possible Against That Section Where The Chief Blows Are To Be Delivered And To Incur Disadvantages Elsewhere, So That Our Chances Of Success May Increase At The Decisive Point. The Third Rule Is Never To Waste Time. Finally, The Fourth Rule Is To Follow Up Our Successes With The Utmost Energy. Only Pursuit Of The Beaten Enemy Gives The Fruits Of Victory.