Sun Tzu Quotes from The Art of War
Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
The victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won.
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.
He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.
In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.
To fight and conquer in all battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
Opportunities multiply as they are seized.
If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.
The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands.
When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.
In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.
The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought.
Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.
All warfare is based on deception.
The wise warrior avoids the battle by creating conditions the enemy cannot refuse.
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.
There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.
The winning strategy is to attack the enemy’s strategy.
Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.
Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.
To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.
Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.
The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be in peril.
Let your plans be dark and as impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
A leader leads by example, not by force.
Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.
Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.
The quality of the decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon.
The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.
If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.
Opportunities multiply as they are seized.
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities.
If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near.
Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm.
When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
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.
Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
All warfare is based on deception.
Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons and they will follow you into the deepest valley.