---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thus, though I have heard of successful…"
description: "\"Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/sun-tzu-283_art_thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-m_788949.jpg"
---

#  Thus, though I have heard of successful military…

![“Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.” quote by Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/sun-tzu-283_art_thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-m_788949.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/sun-tzu-283_art_thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-m_788949.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/sun-tzu-283_art_thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-m_788949.jpg)

> “Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.”

[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.

Clever tactics succeed quickly; prolonged delays rarely produce brilliance.

**In simple terms:** Quick cleverness beats long delays.

Key Takeaway

Act swiftly with intelligence.

Themes

strategy military efficiency

Mood

determined analytical

Type

strategic military

When to use this quote

- battle planning
- project management
- emergency response

Key Concepts

tactical brilliance timing resource allocation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance speed with quality?
- When is a deliberate pace preferable?

A Different Perspective

Speed may sacrifice thoroughness or depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art of war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-war/) [Cleverness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleverness/) [Cleverness Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleverness-seen-4554932/) [Clumsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clumsy/) [Delay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delay/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-operations/) [Operations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operations/) [Operations Clumsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/operations-clumsy-6064297/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-military-942481/) [Swift Cleverness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swift-cleverness-6064298/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [In the years leading up to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, thinking about defense was driven by ideas that regarded successful military operations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/in-the-years-leading-up-to-the-wars-in-afghanistan-and-iraq-thinking/)

[H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/)

> [“Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/thus-though-we-have-heard-of-stupid-haste-in-war-cleverness-has-never/)

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

> [“I saw immediately what they were: human technology that had become haunted, possessed by quick, gleaming cleverness. I had seen smart machines before then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-saw-immediately-what-they-were-human-technology-that-had-become/)

[Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/)

> [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/)

> [Short, successful military adventures are as effective as the Super Bowl in diverting people's attention from unpleasant truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockwell/short-successful-military-adventures-are-as-effective-as-the-super/)

[John Stockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockwell/)

> [Our movement was a great success; I think the most successful military movement of my life. But I expect to receive more credit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stonewall-jackson/our-movement-was-a-great-success-i-think-the-most-successful-military/)

[Stonewall Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stonewall-jackson/)

> [“Some of the most highly trained and successful military forces – Nelson’s fleet, Montgomery’s 8th Army, Wingate’s Chindits – were worked up to excellence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/some-of-the-most-highly-trained-and-successful-military-forces-nelson/)

[Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/)

> [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/)

> [Odyssey Dawn? That's not a military operation. That's a Carnival Cruise ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/odyssey-dawn-that-s-not-a-military-operation-that-s-a-carnival-cruise/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [The reality of Canadian history is that we've been willing to do the important things the world demanded of us: fighting in World War…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-alexander/the-reality-of-canadian-history-is-that-we-ve-been-willing-to-do-the/)

[Chris Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-alexander/)

> [There are markets extending from Mali, Indonesia, way outside the purview of any one government which operated under civil laws, so contracts weren't, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/there-are-markets-extending-from-mali-indonesia-way-outside-the/)

[David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/)

> [Military operations cannot be tidy or free of friction - particularly in a coalition whose contributing nations see the campaign through national prisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-jackson/military-operations-cannot-be-tidy-or-free-of-friction-particularly/)

[Mike Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-jackson/)

> [The GRU is used for both tactical intelligence collection in the battlefield in support of Russian military operations and also strategic active measures or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-alperovitch/the-gru-is-used-for-both-tactical-intelligence-collection-in-the/)

[Dmitri Alperovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-alperovitch/)

> [You must all be aware that modern war is not a mere matter of military operations. It involves the whole strength and all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiang-kai-shek/you-must-all-be-aware-that-modern-war-is-not-a-mere-matter-of/)

[Chiang Kai-shek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiang-kai-shek/)

> [“The ultimate objective of all military operations is the destruction of the enemy’s armed forces and his will to fight.”\* This sums up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-wylie/the-ultimate-objective-of-all-military-operations-is-the-destruction/)

[J.C. Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-wylie/)

## 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 Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

[Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/)

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sun Tzu"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-military-operations-that-were/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-military-operations-that-were/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/sun-tzu-283_art_thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-m_788949.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/sun-tzu-283_art_thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-m_788949.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/sun-tzu-283_art_thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-m_788949.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never…” — 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": "Thus, though I have heard of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-military-operations-that-were/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/thus-though-i-have-heard-of-successful-military-operations-that-were/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
