Sun Tzu Quotes

Other conditions being equal, if one force is hurled against another ten times its size, the result will be the flight of the former.

Know thy enemy and know thy self and you will win a hundred battles.

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

If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.

What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.

Subtle and insubstantial, the expert leaves no trace; divinely mysterious, he is inaudible. Thus he is master of his enemy's fate.

They [spies] cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness.

The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally

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

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

Defeat the enemies strategy.

Every battle is won before it is fought.

One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.

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

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.

If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.

To persuade your enemy to (retreat) before the fight is to defeat them even before the battle begins. An enemy made ally is no longer an enemy.

Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected.

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

Who can determine where one ends and the other begins?

If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.

Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men.

In the tumult and uproar, the battle seems chaotic, but there is no disorder, the troops appear to be milling about in circles but cannot be defeated.

The skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting.

If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity.

If I wish to engage, then the enemy, for all his high ramparts and deep moat, cannot avoid engagement; I attack that which he is obliged to rescue.

Wait by the river long enough and the body of your enemy will float by you.

Attack the enemy's strategy.

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

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle

Birds rising in flight is a sign that the enemy is lying in ambush; when the wild animals are startled and flee he is trying to take you unaware.

Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain

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

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

Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling.

Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.

All war is deception.

Know thy self, know thy enemy.

Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.

Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.

If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.

There are routes not to be followed, armies not to be attacked, citadels not to be besieged, territory not to be fought over.

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

So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.

Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity.

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

Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge.

He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.

Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports.

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