Sun Tzu Quotes

Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.

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

Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.

Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy.

One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful, subduing the other's military without battle is the most skillful.

Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

Ciente de tuas capacidades e limitações, não inicies nenhuma empreitada que não possas levar a cabo.

Quão lamentável é arriscar tudo em um único combate, negligenciando a estratégia vitoriosa, e fazer com que o destino de tuas armas dependa de uma única batalha!

It is best to keep one’s own state intact; to crush the enemy’s state is only second best.

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 supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear 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.

To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.

The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.

There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.

Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.

When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.

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

When one treats people with benevolence, justice, and righteoousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders'.

who wishes to fight must first count the cost

Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.

There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.

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

Be where your enemy is not.

Bravery without forethought, causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a mad bull. Such an opponent, must not be encountered with brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain.

When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away...

Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.

If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst. [One may know the condition of a whole army from the behavior of a single man.]

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

Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.

Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.

Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.

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

It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.

For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right, he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.

If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.

There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:
(1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;
(2) cowardice, which leads to capture;
(3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;
(4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame;
(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.

If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.

A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return.

The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming.

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

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected.

The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.

When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.

5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

Excerpt From: Sunzi. “The Art of War.” iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.

it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

15. Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy's provisions is equivalent to twenty of one's own, and likewise a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one's own store.

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.

If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.

He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.

Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy, but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.

Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment - that which they cannot anticipate.

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