Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be defeated.
—Sun Tzu
The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Battle
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.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: War
Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.
—Sun Tzu
The skilful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Brave
A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.
—Sun Tzu
To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Excellence
Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Great, Change
To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: War
Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise, for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Unhappiness
If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result is victory, then you must not fight, even at the ruler’s bidding.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Victory
A leader leads by example not by Force.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Leadership
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.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Victory
There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.
—Sun Tzu
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.
—Sun Tzu
The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Deception/Lying, Truth
The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Quality, Decisions
One who sets the entire army in motion to chase an advantage will not attain it.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Army
Therefore the skilful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Winning, Winners
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Defeat, War
Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Victory
Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Battle, Persuasion, Excellence
If you are near the enemy, make him believe you are far from him.
If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Enemy
Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Army
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: Defeat, Victory
All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: War
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.
—Sun Tzu
17. Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:
(1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
(2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
(3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
(4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
(5) He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.
18. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself you will succumb in every battle.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: War, Enemy
Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
—Sun Tzu
Topics: War, Defense
So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.
—Sun Tzu
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
- Zhuang Zhou Chinese Taoist Philosopher
- Lin Yutang Chinese Author, Philologist
- Jacques Cousteau French Underwater Explorer
- Douglas MacArthur American Military Leader
- H. Norman Schwarzkopf United States Army Officer
- Colin Powell American Military Leader
- Hyman G. Rickover American Admiral
- William Tecumseh Sherman American Military General
- Robert E. Lee American Military General
- Norman MacEwen British Military Leader
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