The most effective indirect approach is one that lures or startles the opponent into a false move - so that, as in ju-jitsu, his own effort is turned into the lever of his overthrow.
B. H. Liddell HartRead
The only thing harder than getting a new idea into the military mind is to get an old one out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the challenges of changing established beliefs or practices in military thinking.
B. H. Liddell Hart's quote reflects the difficulty of introducing new ideas to an entrenched military mindset that often holds on to traditional strategies and tactics. It suggests that not only is it hard to convince military leaders to adopt new concepts, but it is equally challenging to eliminate outdated beliefs, thereby underscoring the resistance to change inherent in institutional cultures.
Themes
MilitaryIdeasChangeMindsetInnovation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a military strategy meeting to emphasize the need for adapting new tactics.
More from B. H. Liddell Hart
All quotes βIn should be the duty of every soldier to reflect on the experiences of the past, in the endeavor to discover improvements, in his particular sphere of action, which are practicable in the immediate future.
B. H. Liddell HartRead
The easiest and quickest path into the esteem of traditional military authorities is by the appeal to the eye, rather than to the mind. The `polish and pipeclay' school is not yet extinct, and it is easier for the mediocre intelligence to become an authority on buttons, than on tactics.
B. H. Liddell HartRead
The practical value of history is to throw the film of the past through the material projector of the present on to the screen of the future.
B. H. Liddell HartRead
The chief incalculable in war is the human will.
B. H. Liddell HartRead
Air Power is, above all, a psychological weapon - and only short-sighted soldiers, too battle-minded, underrate the importance of psychological factors in war.
B. H. Liddell HartRead
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