---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So the important thing in a military…"
description: "\"So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.\" — Sun Tzu"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/sun-tzu-283_important_so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-ope_2387470.jpg"
---

#  So the important thing in a military operation is victory…

![“So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.” quote by Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/sun-tzu-283_important_so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-ope_2387470.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/sun-tzu-283_important_so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-ope_2387470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/sun-tzu-283_important_so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-ope_2387470.jpg)

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

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Victory is the ultimate aim of warfare, not merely enduring conflict.

**In simple terms:** Winning matters more than lasting.

Key Takeaway

Focus on decisive success.

Themes

strategy military efficiency

Mood

strategic pragmatic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- business competition
- sports tournaments
- project management

Key Concepts

objective clarity resource allocation

Questions to Reflect On

- Is persistence ever more valuable than a win?
- How can you balance short-term success with long-term stability?

A Different Perspective

Achieving victory may require unsustainable tactics.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military Operation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-operation-507290/) [Operation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operation/) [Operation Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operation-victory-5934105/) [Operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operations/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) [Victory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory/) [Victory Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victory-persistence-5934106/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [In a military operation, the command and control elements are a legitimate target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hadley/in-a-military-operation-the-command-and-control-elements-are-a/)

[Stephen Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hadley/)

> [The military operation in Lebanon was the most successful military operation in recent Israeli history. Many in Israel don't recognise that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-olmert/the-military-operation-in-lebanon-was-the-most-successful-military/)

[Ehud Olmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-olmert/)

> [I've always had the idea that we were conducting a military operation. It always seemed to me to be in a state of emergency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-kirstein/i-ve-always-had-the-idea-that-we-were-conducting-a-military-operation/)

[Lincoln Kirstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-kirstein/)

> [Operation Peace for Galilee is not a military operation resulting from the lack of an alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/operation-peace-for-galilee-is-not-a-military-operation-resulting/)

[Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/)

> [There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning, by working, and by praying. Any great military operation takes careful planning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/there-are-three-ways-that-men-get-what-they-want-by-planning-by/)

[George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/)

> [We citizens don't need to know every detail of every military operation in this new kind of war. Nor should the media tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hackworth/we-citizens-don-t-need-to-know-every-detail-of-every-military/)

[David Hackworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hackworth/)

> [You know as well as I do that counterinsurgency is a very nuanced type of military operation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-abizaid/you-know-as-well-as-i-do-that-counterinsurgency-is-a-very-nuanced/)

[John Abizaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-abizaid/)

> [When you decide to get involved in a military operation in a place like Syria, you've got to be prepared, as we learned from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/when-you-decide-to-get-involved-in-a-military-operation-in-a-place/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/a-military-operation-involves-deception-even-though-you-are-competent/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [A minor operation is one that is done on someone else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-selzer/a-minor-operation-is-one-that-is-done-on-someone-else/)

[Richard Selzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-selzer/)

> [When a peacekeeping operation is deployed, it is in support of a political process, it is part of an integrated approach. It is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marie-guehenno/when-a-peacekeeping-operation-is-deployed-it-is-in-support-of-a/)

[Jean-Marie Guehenno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marie-guehenno/)

> [I had worked on dogs for a couple of years developing a renal transplant operation. We had dogs running around with kidneys we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-murray/i-had-worked-on-dogs-for-a-couple-of-years-developing-a-renal/)

[Joe Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-murray/)

> [This operation is not being planned with any alternatives. This operation is planned as a victory, and that's the way it's going to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/this-operation-is-not-being-planned-with-any-alternatives-this/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [I went in for an operation to remove a brain tumor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-gramm/i-went-in-for-an-operation-to-remove-a-brain-tumor/)

[Lou Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-gramm/)

> [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

## 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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-according-to-the-shapes-that-i-lay-the-plans-for-victory-but/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [Go into emptiness, strike voids, bypass what he defends hit him where he does not expect you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/go-into-emptiness-strike-voids-bypass-what-he-defends-hit-him-where/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [“In a similar way, The Art of War pinpoints anger and greed as fundamental causes of defeat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/in-a-similar-way-the-art-of-war-pinpoints-anger-and-greed-as/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-people-being-regarded-as-the-essential-part-of-the-state-and-food/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/therefore-the-good-fighter-will-be-terrible-in-his-onset-and-prompt/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-enemy-s-spies-who-have-come-to-spy-on-us-must-be-sought-out/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [“So long as victory can be attained,  stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/so-long-as-victory-can-be-attained-stupid-haste-is-preferable-to/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [“You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/you-can-ensure-the-safety-of-your-defense-if-you-only-hold-positions/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [“Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/hence-when-able-to-attack-we-must-seem-unable-when-using-our-forces/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/if-we-do-not-wish-to-fight-we-can-prevent-the-enemy-from-engaging-us/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [“The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-general-who-wins-a-battle-makes-many-calculations-in-his-temple/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/in-all-fighting-the-direct-method-may-be-used-for-joining-battle-but/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [“To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/to-begin-by-bluster-but-afterwards-to-take-fright-at-the-enemy-s/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [ They \[spies\] cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/they-spies-cannot-be-properly-managed-without-benevolence-and/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

[Explore all 685 Sun Tzu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

## More Important quotes

> [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [Fiscal prudence is very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smriti-irani/fiscal-prudence-is-very-important/)

[Smriti Irani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smriti-irani/)

> [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/)

[Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/)

> [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/)

[Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/)

> [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/)

[John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [If I had learned how to get along in the quotidian world while keeping up the search for the hidden realm, I might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/if-i-had-learned-how-to-get-along-in-the-quotidian-world-while/)

[Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/)

> [Modeling is more important than the talking we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-williams/modeling-is-more-important-than-the-talking-we-do/)

[Wayne Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-williams/)

> [There are more important things to focus on in life than how you look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arden-cho/there-are-more-important-things-to-focus-on-in-life-than-how-you-look/)

[Arden Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arden-cho/)

> [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/)

[Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/)

> [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/)

[Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/)

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 30,993 Important quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sun Tzu"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-operation-is-victory-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Important"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-operation-is-victory-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/sun-tzu-283_important_so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-ope_2387470.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/sun-tzu-283_important_so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-ope_2387470.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/sun-tzu-283_important_so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-ope_2387470.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.” — Sun Tzu",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Sun Tzu",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "So the important thing in a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-operation-is-victory-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/so-the-important-thing-in-a-military-operation-is-victory-not/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
