Sun Tzu

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. All warfare is based on deception. Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.

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 you will also suffer a defeat.

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. Speed is the essence of war.

Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. The general who wins the battle makes many calculations before the engagement is fought. The general who loses makes few calculations beforehand. By many calculations one can win; by few calculations one cannot. It is by attention to this point that I can see who is likely to...

Know yourself and know your enemy and in a hundred battles you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be defeated in every battle. I have seen many commanders who knew their own troops intimately. I have seen...

The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and strike at what is weak. Water shapes its course according to the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. As water has no constant...

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.

The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand. Many calculations lead to victory; few calculations to defeat. By this means I examine the situation and the outcome is apparent.

Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain. The art is not in choosing between these modes but in knowing when each is called for. A general who is only swift becomes predictable. Unpredictability requires the full range.

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 he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, in warfare there are no constant conditions.

Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley. The commander who is severe but unjust will lose his army before the enemy has touched it. Loyalty is not purchased with pay; it is earned with character.

When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard. A rat in a corner bites harder than a wolf in the open. The enemy who has nothing to lose becomes capable of things he was incapable of before.