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Military Quotes by Sun Tzu

40 Military quotes by Sun Tzu

All Military quotes Sun Tzu’s page

Sun Tzu teaches that a commander must adapt to the enemy as water changes shape, never showing his plans ahead of time. He stresses that avoiding mistakes and being ready to pay the price of battle lead to certain victory. He also warns that swift, clever actions win, while long, clumsy delays do not.

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Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.

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Know the enemy and know yourself.

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Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy... use the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.

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There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.

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He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

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

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“These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.”

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

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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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Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question…

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Use humility to make the enemy haughty. Tire them by flight. Cause division among them. When they are unprepared, attack and make…

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Bestow rewards without regard to rule, issue orders without regard to previous arrangements; and you will be able to handle a whole…

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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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Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death,…

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A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.

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The military has no constant form, just as water has no constant shape - adapt as you face the enemy, without letting…

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So a military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape: the ability to gain victory by changing and adapting…

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Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: He will win who knows when to fight and when not…

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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; They cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness; Without subtle ingenuity…

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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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The essential factor of military success is speed, that is taking advantage of others' unpreparedness or lack of foresight, their failure to…

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If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy in orderly array and on the point of marching to…

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To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a regiment, a company, or a squad…

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The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the…

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

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The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

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

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Without harmony in the State, no military expedition can be undertaken; without harmony in the army, no battle array can be formed.

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“Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory is won, whereas he who is destined…

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Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans, the next best is to prevent the junction of the…

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In your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this wise:…

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If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your…

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If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy…

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The art of using troops is this: …When ten to the enemy's one, surround him; …When five times his strength, attack him;…

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Therefore I say: know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are…

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On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground, attack not. On open ground, do not try…

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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.