The Seafaring Dictionary: Terms, Idioms and Legends of the Past and Present Book

- "Good orders without military help are disordered"
- "A wise questioner makes one considermany things and recognize many others that one would never have recognized without being asked."
- War makes thieves and peace hangs them.
- Aquire fame as able not as good.
- I am esteemed not so much because I understand war as because I also know how to counsel in peace.
- DOn't keep beside you either too great lovers of peace or too great lovers of war.
- A battle that you win cancels any other bad action of yours, and viceversa.
- One cannot make a foundation on other arms than one's own and one cannot order one's own arms otherwise than by way of militia.
- Well ordered men, armed as well as unarmed, fear the laws.
- One should change the heads each year from governement to government, because the continued authority over the same place and men generates union that can be converted to prejudice.
- Men do not suffer from things to which they are accustomed.
- It is more important for one to guard against being hit than it is important to hit the enemy.
- Never order an army so that whoever fights ahead cannot be assisted by those posted behind.
- No captain encamps near to the enemy, unless the former is arranged to do battle any time the enemy wants.
- For in war, every other thing can in time be conquered, Hunger alone in time conquers you.
- Make your enemy suspect his own men in whom he confides.
- Want the trouble to follow when the enemy flees rather than the danger of conquering them when they defend themselves.
- Guard those places better by which you think you can be hurt less.
-Nature produces few hardy men; industry and training makes many.
- New and sudden things frighten armies.
- Take counsel from many on the things that you must do; what you later want to do, tell few.

- "You should never believe that the enemy does not know his business, rather, if you want to deceive yourself less and bring on less danger, the more he appears weak, the more enemy appears more cautious, so much the more ought you to esteem (be wary) of him. And in this you have to use two different means, since you have to fear him with your thoughts and arrangements, but by words and other external demonstrations show him how much you disparage him; for this latter method causes your soldiers to have more hope in obtaining the victory, the former makes you more cautious and less apt to be deceived."

- "Confidence is instilled by arms organization, fresh victories, and the knowledge of the Captain. Love of Country springs from nature. Necessities can be many, but that is the strongest, which constrains you either to win or to die."

- If you should have present in your army someone who keeps the enemy advised of your designs, you cannot do better if you want to avail yourself of his evil intentions, than to communicate to him those things you do not want to do, and keep silent those things you want to do, and tell him you are apprehensive of the things of which you are not apprehensive, and conceal those things of which you are apprehensive: which will cause the enemy to undertake some enterprise, in the belief that he knows your designs, in which you can deceive him and defeat him.