It Is Pardonable To Be Defeated

This maxim from Frederick's military instructions emphasizes preparedness and intelligence-gathering over tactical skill. Frederick's campaigns, particularly in the Seven Years' War (1756–63) when Prussia faced Austria, France, Russia, and Saxony simultaneously, depended on preventing surprise by maintaining constant reconnaissance and rapid response. His decisive victory at Leuthen (December 1757) — achieved after the near-catastrophic defeat at Kolin — was possible partly because Frederick retained accurate intelligence about Austrian positions, allowing him to execute a flanking maneuver that became a textbook example of oblique attack.