Agis II Quotes

Our military men placed too much weight on spirit and forgot about science.

The Spartans do not inquire how many the enemy are, but where they are.

King Agis said, "The Lacedæmonians are not wont to ask how many, but where the enemy are."

The decision to use the atom bomb on Japanese cities, and the consequent buildup of enormous nuclear arsenals, was made by governments, on the basis of political and military perceptions.

Planning is really the hallmark of any large military formation, and it's typically a weakness in new formations and new armies.

Weapons are an important factor in war, but not the decisive one; it is man and not materials that counts.

Our military commanders have said over and over again that a timetable for withdrawal sends the wrong message to our troops, but more importantly to our enemy.

You know too well the forces which compose their army to dread their superior numbers.

All military history records the triumphs of discipline and courage far more frequently than numbers and resources

I would be very careful about using our troops as nation builders. I believe the role of the military is to fight and win war and therefore prevent war from happening in the first place

We haven’t done strategic military analysis in so long that most of our analysts don’t know how to do it any more..

I don't believe that any prime minister would send our troops into conflict without the assurance from the military that they had the equipment necessary for the operation.

I think that our weakness is understanding that when we go to war, we go to war to win.

Government tends to stifle innovation, and it abhors improvisation. Any good military strategist will tell you that a battle plan rarely survives past the first engagement. After that, you have to improvise to survive and to win.

Read over and over again the campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus, Turenne, Eugene and Frederic. ... This is the only way to become a great general and master the secrets of the art of war.

General," said the commander of the delinquent brigade, "I am persuaded that any further display of valor by my troops will bring them into collision with the enemy.

The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish ... the kind of war on which they are embarking.

On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground, attack not. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way. On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your allies. On serious ground, gather in plunder. In difficult ground, keep steadily on the march. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem. On desperate ground, fight.

And therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him.

Before Guadalcanal the enemy advanced at his pleasure - after Guadalcanal he retreated at ours.

Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing about what Lee is going to do. Some of you always seem to think he is suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go back to your command, and try to think what are we going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

In a campaign against more than one state or army, it is more fruitful to concentrate first against the weaker partner than to attempt the overthrow of the stronger in the belief that the latter's defeat will automatically involve the collapse of the others.

The first casualty of any battle is the plan of attack.

If you are going to use military force, then you ought to use overwhelming military force. Use too much and deliberately use too much; you'll save lives, not only your own, but the enemy's too.