Sun Tzu Quotes - Page 2

Sweat more during peace: bleed less during war

Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm

Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.

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.

To ... not prepare is the greatest of crimes; to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues.

Correct your mistake as soon as you have found it.

The peak efficiency of knowledge and strategy is to make conflict unnecessary.

In all history, there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. Only one who knows the disastrous effects of a long war can realize the supreme importance of rapidity in bringing it to a close.

One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.

In warfare, there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent will succeed and win.

When the leader is morally weak and his discipline not strict, when his instructions and guidance are not enlightened, when there are no consistent rules, neighboring rulers will take advantage of this.

A warrior who is prepared to fight must also be prepared to die.

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night.

The true objective of war is peace.

Opportunities increase as they are taken.

Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy

The height of strategy, is to attack your opponent's strategy.

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.

He who knows his enemy and himself well will not be defeated easily.

Pretend to be weak, so your enemy may grow arrogant.

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.

However desperate the situation and circumstances, don't despair. When there is everything to fear, be unafraid. When surrounded by dangers, fear none of them. When without resources, depend on resourcefulness. When surprised, take the enemy by surprise.

Be where your enemy is not.

The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.