Duke of Wellington

Our army is composed of the scum of the earth – the mere scum of the earth.

As Lord Chesterfield said of the generals of his day, ‘I only hope that when the enemy reads the list of their names, he trembles as I do.’

Publish and be dammed.

I used to say of Napoleon that his presence on the field made the difference of forty thousand men.

All the business of war, and indeed all the business of life, is to endeavour to find out what you don’t know by what you do; that’s what I called ‘guess what was at the other side of the hill’.

An extraordinary affair. I gave them their orders and they wanted to stay and discuss them.

Next to a battle lost, the greatest misery is a battle gained.