War Is Very Simple But In

Found in On War, Book I, Chapter 7 ("Friction in War"), this passage introduces one of Clausewitz's most enduring concepts. He argues that war on paper appears simple, but real operations are impeded by an accumulation of small obstacles — uncertainty, exhaustion, miscommunication, weather — which he terms "friction." The chapter concludes: "Friction is the only conception which, in a general way, corresponds to that which distinguishes real war from war on paper." The concept has been widely adopted in business and organizational management as a description of the gap between planning and execution.