Without the former, no man ever became a good officer; under the influence of the latter, generals have committed great faults.

The former is the necessary result of knowledge; the latter of ignorance.

A man acquainted with his duty can rarely be placed in circumstances new, surprising, or embarrassing; a man ignorant of his duty will always find himself constrained to _guess_, and not knowing how to be right by _system_, will often be wrong by _chance_." "These remarks are neither made nor offered as applying exclusively to the science of war.

They apply to all other sciences; but in these, errors are comparatively harmless.

A naturalist may amuse himself and the public with false and fanciful theories of the earth; and a metaphysician may reason very badly on the relations and forms of matter and spirit, without any ill effect but to make themselves ridiculous.
Their blunders but make us merry; they neither pick pockets, nor break legs, nor destroy lives; while those of a general bring after them evils the most compounded and mischievous,--the slaughter of an army--the devastation of a state--the ruin of an empire!" "In proportion as ignorance may be calamitous, the reasons for acquiring instruction are multiplied and strengthened.