Sun Tzu Quotes - Page 17

If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak. If the banners and flags are shifted about, sedition is afoot. If the officers are angry, it means that the men are weary.

He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

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.

Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.

In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them.

He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance.

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.

Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy... use the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.

Without local guides, your enemy employs the land as a weapon against you.

The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally

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.

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.

Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence.

So there are five ways of knowing who will win. Those who know when to fight and when not to fight are victorious. Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious.

Rapidity is the essence of war.

And regulation entails organizational effectiveness, a chain of command, and a structure for logistical support.

If I am able to determine the enemy's dispositions while at the same time I conceal my own, then I can concentrate and he must divide.

The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side.

A wise general makes a point of foraging of the enemy.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle

No nation has ever benefited from a prolonged war.

The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat: - let such a one be dismissed!

Getting people to fight by letting the force of momentum work is like rolling logs and rocks. Logs and rocks are still when in a secure place, but roll on an incline; they remain stationary if square, they roll if round. Therefore, when people are skillfully led into battle, the momentum is like that of round rocks rolling down a high mountain - this is force.

Do not press an enemy at bay.

I will be able to forecast which side will be victorious and which defeated.