-Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are.
-The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
-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.
-Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
-Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
-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.
-Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
-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 .
-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.
-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.
-In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity
There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.
The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.
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.
Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.
When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.
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
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.
So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.
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
One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.
Be extremely subtle even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.
What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
who wishes to fight must first count the cost
He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious
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.
Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.
Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him
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.
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.
The wise warrior avoids the battle.
Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.
If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant
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.
Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.
Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.
If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril
Great results, can be achieved with small forces.
. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.
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.
If his forces are united, separate them.
Never venture, never win!
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.
He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.
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.
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.
who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak
Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy
Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster
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.
Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.
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.
Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.
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.
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
Conform to the enemy's tactics until a favorable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in a battle that shall prove decisive.
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.
Do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat
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.
If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak.
Disorder came from order, fear came from courage, weakness came from strength
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.
It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.
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.
You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are unde
When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy.
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;
Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.
the worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation
We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.
if you fight with all your might, there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling to your corner
The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.
By reinforcing every part, he weakens every part.
You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand
Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home
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.
Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind
If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst. [One may know the condition of a whole army from the behavior of a single man
When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is INSUBORDINATION.
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.
Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.
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.
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.
No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique
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 art of war is of vital importance to the State.
So long as victory can be attained, stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness
Sun Tzu said: The art of war recognises nine varieties of ground: (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3) contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5) ground of intersecting highways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8) hemmed-in ground; (9) desperate ground.
The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.
There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: (1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction; (2) cowardice, which leads to capture; (3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; (4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame; (5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.
There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:
(1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;
(2) cowardice, which leads to capture;
(3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;
(4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame;
(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.
Danger has a bracing effect.
the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
It is best to keep one’s own state intact; to crush the enemy’s state is only second best.
We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country -- its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.
When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is COLLAPSE.
If we wish to wrest an advantage from the enemy, we must not fix our minds on that alone, but allow for the possibility of the enemy also doing some harm to us, and let this enter as a factor into our calculations.
When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away.
The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach.
Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.
Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it
When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.
Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions
first lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle; if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brute strength alone, victory will no longer be assured
Therefore the skillful 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.
You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.You can ensure the safety of your defence if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.
For the wise man delights in establishing his merit, the brave man likes to show his courage in action, the covetous man is quick at seizing advantages, and the stupid man has no fear of death.
Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.
Deep knowledge is to be aware of disturbance before disturbance, to be aware of danger before danger, to be aware of destruction before destruction, to be aware of calamity before calamity. Strong action is training the body without being burdened by the body, exercising the mind without being used by the mind, working in the world without being affected by the world, carrying out tasks without being obstructed by tasks.
Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to capture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.
and addressed them thus: “I presume you know the difference between front and back, right hand and left hand?
licited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any
Be stern in the council-chamber, [Show no weakness, and insist on your plans being ratified by the sovereign.] so that you may control the situation.
He who relies solely on warlike measures shall be exterminated; he who relies solely on peaceful measures shall perish
On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's way. On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your allies.
Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground.
When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardour will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.
At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you.
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