Character and instinct find their expression in impulse; a sudden influence acting on the mind gives no time for reasoning, and the soldier is thrown back on his instincts and his character. If self-preservation is uncontrolled, he acts defensively, or is paralysed; but if he is imbued with self-sacrifice he will stand and fight it out. Besides these two instincts there are three others which largely influence the soldier, namely, self-distinction, self-deception, and self-confidence.

Character and instinct find their expression in impulse ;a sudden influence acting on the mind gives no time for reasoning, and the soldier is thrown back on his instincts and his character. If self-preservation is uncontrolled, he acts defensively, or is paralysed; but if he is imbued with self-sacrifice he will stand and fight it out. Besides these two instincts there are three others which largely influence the soldier, namely, self-distinction, self-deception, and self-confidence.
No healthy man is willing to die or to live unrecognized, though he is willing to deceive himself in a thousand ways in order to avoid the idea of death or of obscurity. It is by stimulating his vanity that we increase his credulity at the expense of his fears and to the profit of his confidence, and thus convert a prudent, cautious being into an idealist, a soldier-that is, a man who is willing to sacrifice his life for the gaining of a cause which very frequently he does not understand. This may seem Machiavellian, but it is not so ; we must take normal man as he is, and in war even stupidity is sometimes a virtue; for when we are called upon to control masses of men it is normally far easier to lead the dull than the intelligent. This does not mean that intelligence is a vice, but that masses are not suited to its useful expression. When individuals and small units are concerned, intelligence demands a fuller liberty of action, and it should be given it, for dullness here is a dangerous quality.This difference, I think, should be remembered whenever the future developments of war are considered, for on the types of armies which may be required will depend the degree of intelligence we should aim at cultivating.
It must, however, be remembered that deception and praise rapidly volatilize under the influence of acute fear, and that it is fear which, as the expression of the instinct of self-preservation controls the battlefield, and, according to the character of the soldier, urges him to do one of three things : to retire, so as to escape danger ; to remain where he is, and so avoid increasing it ; or to advance and clinch with his enemy, so that danger may be overcome.