Sun Tzu Art Of War Quotes

Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.

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

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

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.

Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

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

The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.

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.

There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.

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

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

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

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.

who wishes to fight must first count the cost

When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.

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.

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 .

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.

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

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.

The wise warrior avoids the battle.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.

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 be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.

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.

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

Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.

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

mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy

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

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.

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

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.

Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.

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

Never venture, never win!

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

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

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.

Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.

Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.

If his forces are united, separate them.

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

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

who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits

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.

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

Conform to the enemy's tactics until a favorable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in a battle that shall prove decisive.

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

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.

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

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

the worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation

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

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

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.

do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 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.]

It is the unemotional, reserved, calm, detached warrior who wins, not the hothead seeking vengeance and not the ambitious seeker of fortune.

Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind.

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

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.

By reinforcing every part, he weakens every part.

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

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

The Art of War is self-explanatory

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.

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;

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.

If you don't have a righteous objective,eventually you will suffer. When you do the right thing for the right reason,the right result awaits.

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

It is best to keep one’s own state intact; to crush the enemy’s state is only second best.

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.

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

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible, and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Everything in life can be taken away from you and generally will be at some point. Your wealth vanishes, the latest gadgetry suddenly becomes passé, your allies desert you. But if your mind is armed with the art of war, there is no power that can take that away. In the middle of a crisis, your mind will find its way to the right solution. Having superior strategies at your fingertips will give your maneuvers irresistible force. As Sun-tzu says, “Being unconquerable lies with yourself.