The Art of War Quotes

by Sun Tzu

“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”  ( Deception )

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”( Diplomacy )

“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.” ( Strategy )

“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.” ( Politic )

“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” ( Strategy )

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win” ( Strategy )

“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”  (deception, strategy, tactics, war, warfare )

“If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected .”  ( preparation, security, strategy, tactics, war )

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”  (importance, safety, state, war)

“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.” 

“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.” (opportunity, people, predictability, surprise)

“There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.”  (benefit, war)

“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”  (elements, war)

“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” 

“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”  (the-art-of-war)

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity” : business, strategy

“There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. ”

( military-theory )

“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” 

“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”

(strategy, war)

“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. 

There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
 There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.” (diversity, idic)

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

“One may know how to conquer without being able to do it. ” 

“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”  (strategy, victory )

“What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.” 

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.” 

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

  

“who wishes to fight must first count the cost”  (business, strategy, war)

“Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him.” 

“Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.”

“Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.
But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.”

 “If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive;
and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attached
to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be unless.”

“Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”  (business, strategy, war )

“There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.”  ( business, strategy, war )

“The wise warrior avoids the battle.” (inspirational)

“If your opponent is of choleric temper,  seek to irritate him.  Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.” 

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

“The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.” ( business, strategy, war )

 

“The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch'ang mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both.”  (tactics, warfare)

“If his forces are united, separate them.”  (business, strategy, war )

“But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.”  (death, life, sun-tzu, the-art-of-war)

“Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Move not unless you see an advantage;  use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.” (: business, strategy, 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.” 

“If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.”

“Hence a commander who advances without any thought of winning personal fame and withdraws in spite of certain punishment, whose only concern is to protect his people and promote the interests of his ruler, is the nation's treasure. Because he fusses over his men as if they were infants, they will accompany him into the deepest valleys; because he fusses over his men as if they were his own beloved sons, they will die by his side. If he is generous with them and yet they do not do as he tells them, if he loves them and yet they do not obey his commands, if he is so undisciplined with them that he cannot bring them into proper order, they will be like spoiled children who can be put to no good use at all.” 

“Those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take, and with lures of ostensible profit they await him in strength.”

“The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy. Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated with the utmost liberality.” 

“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.”

“He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Never venture, never win!”  (business, strategy, war)

“Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”

“If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.” 

“Great results, can be achieved with small forces.” (business, strategy, war)

“Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Conform to the enemy's tactics until a favorable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in a battle that shall prove decisive.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Bravery without forethought, causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a mad bull.  Such an opponent, must not be encountered with brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain.”  (business, strategy, war)

“mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy”  (business, strategy, war)

“Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy.”

(empiricism, epistemology, military-philosophy, philosophy, war)

“who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits”  (business, strategy, war)

“He who advances without seeking fame,
Who retreats without escaping blame,
He whose one aim is to protect his people and serve his lord,
The man is a jewel of the Realm”  (fame, jewel, retreat)

“do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat”  (business, strategy, war)

“Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster” 

 

“Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.”  (business, strategy, war)

“If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak. ”  (business, strategy, war)

“Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind.”  (business, strategy, war)

“When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy.” (business, strategy, war)

“The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Disorder came from order, fear came from courage, weakness came from strength.”

 

“By reinforcing every part, he weakens every part.”
―  The Art of War

“You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.”  (business, strategy, war)

“Conceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory;  show your dispositions, and your condition will become patent, which leads to defeat.”  (business, strategy, war)

“There are not more than five primary colors  (blue, yellow,  red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.”  (business, strategy, war )

“You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.”  (business, strategy, war)

“The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points;”  (business, strategy, war)

“the worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation”  (business, strategy, war)

“A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods.” 

 

“When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home.”  (business, strategy, 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.”  (business, strategy, war)

“To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear.” 

 

“The general who does not advance to seek glory, or does not withdraw to avoid punishment, but cares for only the people's security and promotes the people's interests, is the nation's treasure.”

 

“We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.” (: business, strategy, war)

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

  (business, strategy, war)

“When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is COLLAPSE.” (business, strategy, war)

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State.”

 

“It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.”

 

“if you fight with all your might,  there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling to your corner”  (business, strategy, war)