Sun Tzu Quotes

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.

It is more important to outhink your enemy, than to outfight him

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

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

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

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

Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow.

Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain

A leader leads by example not by force.

The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.

All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable, feign incapacity; when active, inactivity. When near, make it appear that you are far away; when far away, that you are to lure him; feign disorder and strike him. When he concentrates, prepare against him; where he is strong, avoid him. Anger his general and confuse him. Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.

He who knows his enemy and himself well will not be defeated easily.

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.

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.

Know the enemy and know yourself.

The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.

Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.

Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more confidential than those relating to secret operations.

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

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

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.

He who relies solely on warlike measures shall be exterminated; he who relies solely on peaceful measures shall perish.

Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.

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

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 and afterwards looks for victory.

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.

All war is based on deception.

Now an army is exposed to six several calamities, not arising from natural causes, 1 but from faults for which the general is responsible. These are: (1) Flight; (2) insubordination; (3) collapse; (4) ruin; (5) disorganisation; (6) rout.

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

If a battle can not be won do not fight it.

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

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.

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

When torrential water tosses boulders, it is because of its momentum. When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey, it is because of timing.

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night.

Kill one, terrify a thousand.

Correct your mistake as soon as you have found it.

Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack.

Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins - this is the rule of armed struggle.

Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.

There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: recklessness, which leads to destruction; cowardice, which leads to capture; a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; a delicacy of honour, which is sensitive to shame; over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.

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

Pretend to be weak, so your enemy may grow arrogant.

Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm

In all history, there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. Only one who knows the disastrous effects of a long war can realize the supreme importance of rapidity in bringing it to a close.

One who speaks deferentially but increases his preparations will advance. One who speaks belligerently and advances hastily will retreat.

To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.

All wars are won or lost before they are ever fought.