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Art Quotes by Sun Tzu

200 Art quotes by Sun Tzu

All Art quotes Sun Tzu’s page

Sun Tzu warns that anger and greed can lead to defeat. He advises using indirect methods and clever signals such as drums and banners to win battles without direct fighting. He also says a good fighter must act quickly at the start and decide promptly.

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Great results, can be achieved with small forces.

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Victory is the main object in war.

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The Art of War is self-explanatory

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Be where your enemy is not.

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Do not press an enemy at bay.

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Wheels of justice grind slow but grind fine

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In war, practice dissimulation and you will succeed.

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“The art of war is of vital importance to the State.”

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

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In war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military power.

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

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Generally in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this.

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Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

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And therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him.

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Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.

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“The Giles' edition of the ART OF WAR, as stated above, was a scholarly work.”

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

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These are six ways of courting defeat, which must be carefully noted by the general who has attained a responsible post.

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Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.

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The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to…

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When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them.…

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Should one ask: 'how do I cope with a well-ordered enemy host about to attack me?' I reply: seize something he cherishes…

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Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuver. What is difficult about maneuver is to make the devious route the most…

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Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long…

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The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed.…

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

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It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, be…

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The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness…

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

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There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever…

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When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or hurls a weak…

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In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should offer us an attractive bait, it will be advisable not to…

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Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity; They cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness; Without subtle ingenuity…

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There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune on his army: By commanding the army to advance or to…

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Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards... Water shapes…

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Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity; (2) They cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straight forwardness; (3)…

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“When Lionel Giles began his translation of Sun Tzu's ART OF WAR, the work was virtually unknown in Europe. Its introduction to…

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If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open…

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“III. ATTACK BY STRATAGEM 1. Sun Tzu said: In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take…

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The relative size of your force as against that of your adversary is by itself of no consequence. What controls is the…

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More by Sun Tzu

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…

It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see…

Go into emptiness, strike voids, bypass what he defends hit him where he does not expect you.

“In a similar way, The Art of War pinpoints anger and greed as fundamental causes of defeat.”

“The PEOPLE being regarded as the essential part of the State, and FOOD as the people's heaven, is it not right that those in…

Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.

The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they…

“So long as victory can be attained, stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness.”

“You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.”

“Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make…

If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely…

“The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes…

In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.

“To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.”

They [spies] cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness.