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
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War
All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem
unable; when using our forces, we must seem 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. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War
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.
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War
"The art of using troops is this:
......When ten to the enemy's one, surround him;
......When five times his strength, attack him;
......If double his strength, divide him;
......If equally matched you may engage him;
......If weaker numerically, be capable of withdrawing;
......And if in all respects unequal, be capable of eluding him,
..........for a small force is but booty for one more powerful."
- Sun Tzu, the Art Of
War
"Regard your soldiers
as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys.
Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto
death!"
- Sun Tzu, the Art of War
the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the
battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations
beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to
defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point
that I can foresee who is likely to w in or lose.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
He who wishes to fight must first count the cost. When you engage in actual
fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and
their ardor will be dampened. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your
strength. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will
not be equal to the strain. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor
dampened, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will
spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will
be able to avert the consequences that must ensue... In war, then, let your
great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen
associated with long delays.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can
thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy... use the
conquered foe to augment one's own strength.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
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 recapture an army entire than to destroy it.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme
excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans, the next
best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces, the next in order is to
attack the enemy's army in the field, and the worst policy of all is to besiege
walled cities.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army: By
commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it
cannot obey; This is called hobbling the army. By attempting to govern an army
in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions
which obtain in an army; This causes restlessness in the soldier's minds. By
employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of
the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the
confidence of the soldiers.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who
knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win whose army is
animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. He will win who, prepared
himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military
capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.
-Sun Tzu, the Art of War
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.
- Sun Tzu
The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of
defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. To secure
ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating
the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. Thus the good fighter is able to
secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
- Sun Tzu
Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means
conquering an enemy that is already defeated.
- Sun Tzu
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.
- Sun Tzu
Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from
fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and
signals.
- Sun Tzu
In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but
indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. In battle, there are
not more than two methods of attack - the direct and the indirect; yet these two
in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers. The direct and the
indirect lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle - you
never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?
- Sun Tzu
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.
- Sun Tzu
The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the
enemy's will to be imposed on him.
- Sun Tzu
An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through
country where the enemy is not. You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if
you only attack places which are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your
defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.
- Sun Tzu
Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to
defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to
attack.
- Sun Tzu
If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he
be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack
some other place that he will be obliged to relieve. If we do not wish to fight,
we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our
encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw
something odd and unaccountable in his way.
- Sun Tzu
Should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he
strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he
will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right, he will weaken his left.
If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.
- Sun Tzu
In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to
conceal them.
- Sun Tzu
Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs
away from high places and hastens downwards... 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. Therefore, just as water
retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He
who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in
winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.
- Sun Tzu
So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.
- Sun Tzu
The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into
the direct, and misfortune into gain.
- Sun Tzu
Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude,
most dangerous.
- Sun Tzu
We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of
our neighbors.
- Sun Tzu
Do not interfere with an army that is returning home. When you surround an
army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
- Sun Tzu
The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not
coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not
attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.
- Sun Tzu
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. When the higher officers are angry
and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account
from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or
no he is in a position to fight, the result is RUIN.
- Sun Tzu
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.
- Sun Tzu
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. If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your
authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and
incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to
spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose.
- Sun Tzu
If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware
that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.
If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men
are not in a condition to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory. If
we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also know that our men are in a
condition to attack, but are unaware that the nature of the ground makes
fighting impracticable, we have still gone only halfway towards victory.
- Sun Tzu
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.
- Sun Tzu
On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile ground, halt not. On
contentious ground, attack not. On open ground, do not try to block the enemy's
way. On the ground of intersecting highways, join hands with your allies. On
serious ground, gather in plunder. In difficult ground, keep steadily on the
march. On hemmed-in ground, resort to stratagem. On desperate ground, fight.
- Sun Tzu
If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy in orderly array and on
the point of marching to the attack, I should say: "Begin by seizing
something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your
will." Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy's
unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.
- Sun Tzu
Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will
prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not
achieve.
- Sun Tzu
If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have
a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because
they are disinclined to longevity.
- Sun Tzu
Bestow rewards without regard to rule, issue orders without regard to
previous arrangements; and you will be able to handle a whole army as though you
had to do with but a single man.
- Sun Tzu
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. Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his
plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.
- Sun Tzu
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. If it is to
your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are. Anger may in
time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.
- Sun Tzu
No leader should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen;
no leader should fight a battle simply out of pique. But a kingdom that has once
been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought
back to life. Hence the enlightened leader is heedful, and the good leader full
of caution.
- Sun Tzu quotes
Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity; (2)
They cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straight forwardness;
(3) Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of
their reports; (4) Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of
warfare; (5) If a secret piece of news is divulged by a spy before the time is
ripe, he must be put to death together with the man to whom the secret was told.
- Sun Tzu quotes
The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with
bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they will become double agents and
available for our service. It is through the information brought by the double
agent that we are able to acquire and employ local and inward spies. It is owing
to his information, again, that we can cause the doomed spy to carry false
tidings to the enemy.
- Sun Tzu quotes
"To capture
the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a regiment,
a company, or a squad is better than to destroy them. For to win one hundred
victories in one hundred battles is not the supreme of excellence. To subdue the
enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence."
- Sun Tzu quotes
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