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If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards vict...more

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

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

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

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

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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 a...more

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

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There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must be not attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested...more

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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.

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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 a...more

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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.

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

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