"Essentally combat is an expression of hostile feelings. But in the large-scale combat that we call war hostile feelings often have become merely hostile intentions. At any rate, there are usually no hostile feelings between individuals. Yet such emotions can never be completely absent from war. Modern wars are seldom fought without hatred between nations; this serves as a more or less substitute for the hatred between individuals. Even when there is no natural hatred and no animosity to start with, the fighting itself will stir up hostile feelings: violence committed on superior orders will stir up the desire for revenge and retaliation against the perpetrator rather than against the powers that ordered the action. It is only human (or animal, if you like), but it is a fact."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Carl von Clausewitz
1780 – 1831
preußischer General und Militärtheoretiker
109 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Carl von Clausewitz →
Related Quotes
"Since war is not an act of senseless passion but is controlled by its political object, the value of this object must…"
"[...] so sind ihm zwei Eigenschaften unentbehrlich [...] Der erstere ist bildlich mit dem französischen Ausdruck coup…"
"To introduce into the philosophy of War itself a principle of moderation would be an absurdity."
"War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds."
"With uncertainty in one scale, courage and self-confidence should be thrown into the other to correct the balance. Th…"
"Blind aggressiveness would destroy the attack itself, not the defense."
"... in the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards."
"Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating."
"Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat the enemy without too much…"
"Die Entschlossenheit ist ein Akt des Mutes in dem einzelnen Fall, und wenn sie zum Charakterzug wird, eine Gewohnheit…"