Sun Tzu
If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.Collection: Art Of War
Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength.Collection: Art Of War
Set the troops to their tasks without imparting your designs.Collection: Design
If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is tempermental, 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.Collection: Strength
One who speaks deferentially but increases his preparations will advance. One who speaks belligerently and advances hastily will retreat.Collection: Preparation
Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuvering for advantageous positions.Collection: Art
Weigh the situation, then move.Collection: Moving
So the principles of warfare are: Do not depend on the enemy not coming, but depend on our readiness against him. Do not depend on the enemy not attacking, but depend on our position that cannot be attacked.Collection: Enemy
When I have won a victory I do not repeat my tactics but respond to circumstances in an infinite variety of ways.Collection: Art
Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.Collection: War
The nature of war is constant change.Collection: War
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.Collection: Art
If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.Collection: Loss
The skilful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man.Collection: Wise
Know thy enemy and know thy self and you will win a hundred battles.Collection: Winning
Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small. The difficult things in this world must be done while they are easy, the greatest things in the world must be done while they are still small. For this reason sages never do what is great, and this is why they achieve greatness.Collection: Greatness
When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.Collection: Art
Attack like the Fire and be still as the MountainCollection: Art Of War
In conflict, straightforward actions generally lead to engagement, surprising actions generally lead to victory.Collection: War
Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business.Collection: Art
Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.Collection: Art
Those who do not know the plans of competitors cannot prepare alliances. Those who do not know the lay of the land cannot maneuver their forces. Those who do not use local guides cannot take advantage of the ground.Collection: Land
If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight.Collection: Art
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.Collection: Running
So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.Collection: Strong
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.Collection: War
Agitate him and ascertain the pattern of his movement.Collection: Art
He who knows things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated.Collection: Art
Humble words and increased preparations are signs that the enemy is about to advance. Violent language and driving forward as if to the attack are signs that he will retreat.Collection: Humble
In war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military power.Collection: Art
The value of time, that is of being a little ahead of your opponent, often provides greater advantage than superior numbers or greater resources.Collection: Art
All warfare is based on deception. If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight and if not: split and re-evaluate.Collection: Fighting
When you know both yourself as well as your competition, you are never in danger. To know yourself and not others, gives you half a chance of winning. Knowing neither yourself or your competition puts you in a position to lose.Collection: Motivational
In war, practice dissimulation and you will succeed.Collection: Art
When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.Collection: Depressing
What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.Collection: Art
And therefore only the enlightened sovereign and the worthy general who are able to use the most intelligent people as agents are certain to achieve great things.Collection: Intelligent
They [spies] cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness.Collection: Art
If not in the interests of the state, do not act. If you cannot succeed, do not use troops. If you are not in danger, do not fight.Collection: Art
He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance.Collection: Art
In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them.Collection: Military
Someone unfamiliar with the mountains and forests cannot advance [the team]. One who does not employ local guides cannot gain the advantage.Collection: Team
We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) entangling ground; (3) temporising ground; (4) narrow passes; (5) precipitous heights; (6) positions at a great distance from the enemy.Collection: Art
Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy... use the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.Collection: Art
Without local guides, your enemy employs the land as a weapon against you.Collection: Land
On the field of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough; hence the institution of gongs and drums... banners and flags. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point.Collection: Art
The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best allyCollection: Country
Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence.Collection: Fighting
When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting men become, as it were, like rolling logs or stones... The energy developed by good fighting men is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousands of feet in height.Collection: Art