Quotes from Sun Tzu

If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.

Be where your enemy is not.

Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.

Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.

If his forces are united, separate them.

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.

The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch'ang mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both.

But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.

Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster

If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame. But, if orders are clear and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their oficers.

the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.

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

who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits

When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home.

Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

He who advances without seeking fame, Who retreats without escaping blame, He whose one aim is to protect his people and serve his lord, The man is a jewel of the Realm

Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.

Those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take, and with lures of ostensible profit they await him in strength.

If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak. 

Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

the worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation