Quotes from Sun Tzu

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.

Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain

If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity.

If I wish to engage, then the enemy, for all his high ramparts and deep moat, cannot avoid engagement; I attack that which he is obliged to rescue.

Birds rising in flight is a sign that the enemy is lying in ambush; when the wild animals are startled and flee he is trying to take you unaware.

Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men.

If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.

Know thy self, know thy enemy.

If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.

Too frequent rewards indicate that the general is at the end of his resources; too frequent punishments that he is in acute distress.

So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.

What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.

Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.

Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.

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

All war is deception.

If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.

The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.

He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

The value of time, that is of being a little ahead of your opponent, often provides greater advantage than superior numbers or greater resources.

Like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.

The nature of war is constant change.

Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuvering for advantageous positions.

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