MANTOVANNI’S RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

1. Never forget: The other guy has a plan, too.

2. If you think your strategy is foolproof, then you've expanded the realm of fools by one.

3. It only seems like "collateral damage" if you weren't standing where the damage occurred.

4. "Acceptable losses" is, often, a phrase used by those who didn't lose anyone.

5. "Friendly fire" leaves you just as dead.

6. Restraint is for a battle's prelude, and compassion for its aftermath. During, you must assess with dispassion and strike without let.

7. History is replete with men who never lost a battle—until the last one, that is.

8. Do not glorify or euphemize: At the core, a great wartime general is an efficient butcher.

9. If you love battle, there's something wrong with you.

10. Prepare for endless war; pray for eternal peace.