Sun Tzu Quotes

Thus the skilful general conducts his army just as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.

In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack
the
direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to
an endless series of maneuvers.

A general who advances without thought of personal glory, and retreats without a care for disgrace, who thinks only of protecting the people and benefiting his ruler - such a man is a treasure beyond price to his country.

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

There is no place where espionage is not possible.

A wise general makes a point of foraging of the enemy.

When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.

The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution.

When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be rout.

When the position is such that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporising ground.

Every battle is won before it's ever fought.

Wheels of justice gind slow but grind fine

If quick, I survive. If not quick, I am lost. This is death.

Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.

It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.

It is the business of a general to be quiet and thus ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order.

The control of a large force is the same principle
as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up
their numbers.

Appraise war in terms of the fundamental factors. The first of these factors is moral influence.

If his forces are united, separate them.

And therefore only the enlightened sovereign and the worthy general who are able to use the most intelligent people as agents are certain to achieve great things.

Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind.

One who sets the entire army in motion to chase an advantage will not attain it.

There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.

know yourself and you will win all battles

What the ancients called a skilful fighter is one who not only wins but wins with ease...He wins by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes means having already established the certainty of victory; conquering an enemy who is already defeated.

One need not destroy one's enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage.

Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.

The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations.

He who only sees the obvious, wins his battles with difficulty; he who looks below the surface of things, wins with ease

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity

Thus, what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.

If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.

was profound insight of a spiritual nature that could help me live my everyday life unconstrained by conflict, either with others or within myself. These

Apparent confusion is a product of good order; apparent cowardice, of courage; apparent weakness, of strength.

On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way. On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your allies.

Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.

All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used. Offer the enemy bait to lure him.

There is an intelligent way to eat a live frog - I just don't know what it is.

Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more confidential than those relating to secret operations.

Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits

Those who were called skillful leaders of old knew how to drive a wedge between the enemy's front and rear; [More literally, "cause the front and rear to lose touch with each other."] to prevent co-operation between his large and small divisions; to hinder the good troops from rescuing the bad, the officers from rallying their men. 16. When the enemy's men were united, they managed to keep them in disorder.

Every battle is won before it is fought.

There are three avenues of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions. When opportunities occur through events but you are unable to respond, you are not smart. When opportunities become active through a trend and yet you cannot make plans, you are not wise. When opportunities emerge through conditions but you cannot act on them, you are not bold.

The general, unable to control his irritation, will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain, while the town still remains untaken. Such are the disastrous effects of a siege.

The Art of War is self-explanatory

Be stern in the council-chamber, [Show no weakness, and insist on your plans being ratified by the sovereign.] so that you may control the situation.

The general who does not advance to seek glory, or does not withdraw to avoid punishment, but cares for only the people's security and promotes the people's interests, is the nation's treasure.

I pee in the toilets of my enemies, so that when they flush my pee comes out

When I wish to give battle, my enemy, even though protected by high walls and deep moats, cannot help but engage me, for I attack a position he must succor. When I wish to avoid battle I may defend myself simply by drawing a line on the ground; the enemy will be unable to attack me because I divert him from going where he wishes.

Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.
But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.

Keep their friends close and their enemies closer.

I have heard that the ancients used bows and arrows to their advantage.

The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands

However, this translation is, in the words of Dr. Giles, "excessively bad." He goes further in this criticism: "It is not merely a question of downright blunders, from which none can hope to be wholly exempt.

We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.

When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.

Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision,
to the releasing of a trigger.

The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.

Without constant practice, the officers will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle; without constant practice, the general will be wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at hand.]

A good commander is benevolent and unconcerned with fame.

Too frequent rewards indicate that the general is at the end of his resources; too frequent punishments that he is in acute distress.

First learn to become invincible, then wait for your enemy's moment of vulnerability.

The victorious army is victorious first and seeks battle later; the defeated army seeks battle first and seeks victory later.

Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain

Those skilled in warfare move the enemy, and are not moved by the enemy.

All war is deception.

Hence a commander who advances without any thought of winning personal fame and withdraws in spite of certain punishment, whose only concern is to protect his people and promote the interests of his ruler, is the nation's treasure. Because he fusses over his men as if they were infants, they will accompany him into the deepest valleys; because he fusses over his men as if they were his own beloved sons, they will die by his side. If he is generous with them and yet they do not do as he tells them, if he loves them and yet they do not obey his commands, if he is so undisciplined with them that he cannot bring them into proper order, they will be like spoiled children who can be put to no good use at all.

Those skilled in attack move as from above the nine-fold heavens. Thus they are capable both of protecting themselves and of gaining complete victory.

What enables the enlightened rulers and good generals to conquer the enemy at every move and achieve extraordinary success is foreknowledge.

So a military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape: the ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius.

As water shapes its flow in accordance with the ground, so an army manages its victory in accordance with the situation of the enemy.

Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment - that which they cannot anticipate.

There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.

A clever general ... avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods. Disciplined and calm, he awaits the appearance of disorder and hubbub among the enemy. This is the art of retaining self-possession.

Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) Entangling ground; (3) Temporizing ground; (4) Narrow passes; (5) Precipitous heights; (6) Positions at a great distance from the enemy.

Someone unfamiliar with the mountains and forests cannot advance [the team]. One who does not employ local guides cannot gain the advantage.

To plan secretly, to move surreptitiously, to foil the enemy's intentions and balk his schemes, so that at last the day may be won without shedding a drop of blood.

Opportunistic relationships can hardly be kept constant. The acquaintance of honorable people, even at a distance, does not add flowers in times of warmth and does not change its leaves in times of cold: it continues unfading through the four seasons, becomes increasingly stable as it passes through ease and danger.

Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.

Humanity and justice are the principles on which to govern a state, but not an army; opportunism and flexibility, on the other hand, are military rather than civic virtues.

he not honestly believed the contrary. And it is precisely on such a point that the judgment of an educated Chinaman will carry most weight. Other internal evidence is not far to seek. Thus in XIII. ss. 1, there is an unmistakable allusion to the ancient system

For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards.

To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable. The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy.

It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one,
to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous,
to divide our army into two.

When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal.

First lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle; if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brute strength alone, victory will no longer be assured

What is of the greatest importance in war is extraordinary speed: One cannot afford to neglect opportunity.

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons

In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should offer us an attractive bait, it will be advisable not to stir forth, but rather to retreat, thus enticing the enemy in his turn; then, when part of his army has come out, we may deliver our attack with advantage.

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win

A sovereign should never launch an army out of anger, a leader should never start a war out of wrath

The control of large numbers is possible, and like unto that of small numbers, if we subdivide them.

When your opponent gives you an opening, be swift as a hare.

To perceive victory when it is known to all is not really skilful. Everyone calls victory in battle good, but it is not really good.

It is best to keep one's own state intact; to crush the enemy's state is only second best.

If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.

Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.

Do not press an enemy at bay. Prince Fu Ch'ai said: Wild beasts, when at bay, fight desperately. How much more is this true of men! If they know there is no alternative, they will fight to the death.

The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they will become double agents and available for our service. It is through the information brought by the double agent that we are able to acquire and employ local and inward spies. It is owing to his information, again, that we can cause the doomed spy to carry false tidings to the enemy.

The wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.