Sun Tzu Quotes

If you do not take opportunity   to   advance and reward   the   deserving,   your subordinates will...

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own re...

Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found ou...

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

If we wish to wrest an advantage from the enemy, we must not fix our minds on that alone, but allow ...

When you start a fire, be to windward of it. Do not attack from the leeward.

5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will fo...

Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.

Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.

The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only tho...

If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak. 

You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.

the worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation

The wise warrior avoids the battle.

When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it c...

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

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

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

5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will fo...

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

If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive;and,...

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon ...

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible, a...

A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is slugg...

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory is won, whereas...

At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden,  until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards e...

If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst....

Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate ...

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which ...

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on th...

If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if...

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

The art of war is the art of deception.

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

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity

For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he ...

If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we ma...

You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.You can...

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

It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to...

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

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

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

War is like a fire - if you do not put it out, it will burn itself out.

Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and ...

Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes,...

If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; ...

Quickness is the essence of the war.

There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited.

Secret operations are essential in war upon them the army relies to make its every move.

One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful, subduing the other's military...

If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.

A good commander is benevolent and unconcerned with fame.

Be where your enemy is not.

Balk the enemy's power force him to reveal himself.

Invincibility lies in the defence the possibility of victory in the attack.

There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more mel...

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

There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:(1) Recklessness, which leads to destruct...

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

first lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle;  if you will not begin...

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

In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; ...

Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men.

Understand both yourself and your enemy, and you shall always emerge victorious

If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open...

Danger has a bracing effect.

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

Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.

He wins his battles by making no mistakes.Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of vi...

Conceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory;  show your...

We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country -- i...

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

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

When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is COLLAPSE.

There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must be not attacked, towns which must not ...

When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is INSUBORDINATION.

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

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

Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoev...

if you fight with all your might,  there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling...

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

It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the a...

Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projecti...

Be stern in the council-chamber, [Show no weakness, and insist on your plans being ratified by the s...

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

The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.

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

Great results, can be achieved with small forces.

There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not ...

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

When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is ...

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, w...

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

He who advances without seeking fame,Who retreats without escaping blame,He whose one aim is to prot...

Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.

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

If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.

When one treats people with benevolence, justice, and righteoousness, and reposes confidence in them...