Sun Tzu Quotes - Page 8

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.

Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.

Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him

Probe him and learn where his strength is abundant and where deficient.

When your opponent gives you an opening, be swift as a hare.

Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.

Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle .... They conquer by strategy.

There is no place where espionage is not possible.

Attack where he is unprepared; sally forth when he does not expect you.

It is ten thousand times cheaper to pay the best spies lavishly than even a tiny army poorly.

Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins - this is the rule of armed struggle.

Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant indicate a plot.

Until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared

When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.

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.

In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.

Keep their friends close and their enemies closer.

When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal.

Unless you know the mountains and the forests, the defiles and impasses, the lay of the marshes and swamps, you cannot maneuver with an armed force. Unless you use local guides, you cannot get the advantages of the land.

Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge.

Of old the expert in battle would first make himself invincible and then wait for his enemy to expose his vulnerability.

We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country.

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.

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.

To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape.