Claude Louis Hector de Villars Quotes

No governor of a place should he permitted to excuse himself for surrendering, on the ground of wishing to preserve the king's troops. Every garrison that displays courage will escape being prisoners of war. For there is no general who, however well assured of carrying a place by assault, will not prefer granting terms of capitulation rather than risk the loss of a thousand men in forcing determined troops to surrender.

When the first shot is fired, no one can calculate what will be the issue of the war. It is, therefore, of vast importance to reflect maturely before we begin it.

Where there are no peasants there are no supplies.

[Your nation] seems immovable, never doing glorious things but by halves, and never disgracing itself.

Also quoted by Voltaire ("Voulez-vous que je vous dise où sont les vrais ennemis du Prince Eugene? Ils sont à Vienne, et les miens à Versailles.")

In war everything depends upon being able to deceive the enemy; and having once gained this point, in never allowing him time to recover himself.

I am going to fight your enemies, I leave you in the midst of my own.

If God lets us have the grace of losing such a battle again, Your Majesty can count on all of his enemies being destroyed.

Do you want to know where Prince Eugene’s real enemies are? They are in Vienna, while mine are in Versailles.

When we are determined upon war, we should carry it on vigorously and without trifling.

The most shameful, humiliating and disastrous of routs.

God protect me from my friends, I can protect myself from my enemies. [Variation: Defend me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies myself].

I was unable before starting to formulate a plan of campaign because I did not know whether I should find an army there ... In fact I found the troops in a deplorable condition, without clothes, without arms, and without bread.

Quoted in D'après Th. H. Barrau, Livre de morale pratique, Paris, Hachette et Cie, 1852

What! Is it expected that I, a Marshal of France, should be the first to escalade, when I order you to attack?