Semanticizing

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
Sun Tzu

Strategy is buying a bottle of fine wine when you take a lady out for dinner. Tactics is getting her to drink it.
Frank Muir

So I remember reading somewhere some witty and informative remark discriminating these two concepts...but these two clearly weren't it.  I personally find the first one less than illuminating, while the latter quote is, while more colorful (and probably a better illustration) vaguely insulting.  However, essentially:

Strategy is the overarching and often long-range plan, framework, or set of decisions that has been laid in place in order to accomplish a large or complex goal.

Tactics, meanwhile, are the individual and distinct maneuvers, procedures, or events that work for the benefit of the strategist and towards the ultimate intended result by taking advantage of opportunities provided by the overall strategic configuration.

The rather more brief notion that [s]trategy requires thought, [while] tactics require observation (Max Euwe) is probably not untrue, but I feel that most often the reverse is true as well.

And of course, the outcome - pragmatically speaking - is the most important bit of this whole lesson: However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results (Winston Churchill).