Sun Tzu, The Art Of War Quotes

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

the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.

When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.

Great results, can be achieved with small forces.

Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

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

Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.

The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming.

Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground.

When an invading force crosses a river in its onward march, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream.  It will be best to let half the army get across, and then deliver your attack.

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.

Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive,  knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.

If his forces are united, separate them.

To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.

Danger has a bracing effect.

We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country -- its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.

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

The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach.

So long as victory can be attained,   stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness.

do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat

These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.

You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return.

Know the enemy, know yourself and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles.

Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.

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

If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.

5, 6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

He wins his battles by making no mistakes.Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible, and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory is won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.

He who advances without seeking fame, Who retreats without escaping blame, He whose one aim is to protect his people and serve his lord, The man is a jewel of the Realm

When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away...

The wise warrior avoids the battle.

Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy.

Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.

Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.

The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.