“Defeat cries aloud for explanation; whereas success, like charity, covers a multitude of sins.” (Mahan, 1911)

Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan (27 September 1840 to 01 December 1914)

US Naval Officer and Historian.

Reference

Mahan, A.T. (1911) Naval Strategy Compared and Contrasted with the Principles and Practice of Military Operations on Land: Lectures Delivered at U.S. Naval War College, Newport, R.I., Between the Years 1887 and 1911. Boston, US: Little, Brown.