Sun Tzu Quotes
Top 100 wise famous quotes and sayings by Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu Famous Quotes & Sayings
Discover top inspirational quotes from Sun Tzu on Wise Famous Quotes.
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.
If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.
All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used. Offer the enemy bait to lure him.
Order or disorder depends on organisation; courage or cowardice on circumstances; strength or weakness on dispositions.
What enables the enlightened rulers and good generals to conquer the enemy at every move and achieve extraordinary success is foreknowledge.
Without harmony in the State, no military expedition can be undertaken; without harmony in the army, no battle array can be formed.
And addressed them thus: I presume you know the difference between front and back, right hand and left hand?
To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable. The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy.
It is the unemotional, reserved, calm, detached warrior who wins, not the hothead seeking vengeance and not the ambitious seeker of fortune.
Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
Apparent confusion is a product of good order; apparent cowardice, of courage; apparent weakness, of strength.
Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.
The good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy.
Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.
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
When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.
In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.
Those who would wage war, should first eliminate all domestic enemies before proceeding to attack the external foe.
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.
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 now
If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are now
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the
opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Against those skilled in attack, an enemy does not know where to defend; against the experts in defense, the enemy does not know where to attack.
Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow.
Like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.
One who speaks deferentially but increases his preparations will advance. One who speaks belligerently and advances hastily will retreat.
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities ... It is best to win without fighting.
He who is not sage and wise, humane and just, cannot use secret agent.s. And he who is not delicate and subtle cannot get the truth out of them.
The dance of battle is always played to the same impatient rhythm. What begins in a surge of violent motion is always reduced to the perfectly still.
To ... not prepare is the greatest of crimes; to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues.
If you fight with all your might, there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling to your corner
And regulation entails organizational effectiveness, a chain of command, and a structure for logistical support.
Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!
One cat at the hole, and ten thousand mice dare not come out; one tiger in the valley, and ten thousand deer cannot pass through.
According to my assessment, even if you have many more troops than others, how can that help you to victory?
So it is that good warriors take their stance on ground where they cannot lose, and do not overlook conditions that make an opponent prone to defeat.
One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful, subduing the other's military without battle is the most skillful.