All Sun Tzu Quotes
- When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers… Art
- When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination. When the officers are too strong and the common… Art
- When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before… Account
- In your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this wise: which of the… Ability
- Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical. Advantage
- Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. Art
- Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision. Art
- Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots. Advantage
- If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. Arrogant
- Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. Appear
- 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… All
- If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are. Advantage
- Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. Art
- Carefully study the well-being of your men, and do not overtax them. Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength. Keep your army continually on the… Army
- 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… Ang
- We cannot enter into alliance with neighbouring princes until we are acquainted with their designs. We are not fit to lead an army on the… Account
- Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources. Ahead
- No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique. Art
- What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge. Achieve
- Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation. Any