--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a…" description: "\"To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape.\" — Sun Tzu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/sun-tzu-283_army_to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-w_1504640.jpg" --- # To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape. ![“To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape.” quote by Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/sun-tzu-283_army_to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-w_1504640.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/sun-tzu-283_army_to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-w_1504640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/sun-tzu-283_army_to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-w_1504640.jpg) > “To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape.” [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. Give opponents a chance to retreat to avoid desperate resistance. **In simple terms:** Allow enemies an escape route. Key Takeaway Offer a way out to reduce conflict intensity. Themes strategy conflict resolution human nature Mood strategic pragmatic Type military psychological When to use this quote - military negotiations - business competition - personal disputes - negotiations Key Concepts psychology warfare tactics Questions to Reflect On - When is it better to block escape? - How does offering exit affect morale? A Different Perspective Giving escape may be seen as weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Art of war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-war/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Escape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escape/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Make sure that the road is always clear for your enemy to leave’?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/make-sure-that-the-road-is-always-clear-for-your-enemy-to-leave/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [O, God assist our side: at least, avoid assisting the enemy and leave the rest to me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/o-god-assist-our-side-at-least-avoid-assisting-the-enemy-and-leave/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [With every temptation there will be a way of escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christianquotes/with-every-temptation-there-will-be-a-way-of-escape/) ChristianQuotes > [Everyone has a way out a way to escape a place to go to be free from thoughts, free from pain stress, despair, mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-jacobik/everyone-has-a-way-out-a-way-to-escape-a-place-to-go-to-be-free-from/) Lance Jacobik > [Movies were, to me, like a way out. It was an escape valve. I remember having my parents drop me off at movies all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-patton/movies-were-to-me-like-a-way-out-it-was-an-escape-valve-i-remember/) [Mike Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-patton/) > [The best way to escape from problems to face it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manasreddy/the-best-way-to-escape-from-problems-to-face-it/) Manasreddy > [Running away from any problem only increases the distance from the solution. The easiest way to escape from a problem is to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/running-away-from-any-problem-only-increases-the-distance-from-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best way to escape from your problem is to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anthony/the-best-way-to-escape-from-your-problem-is-to-solve-it/) [Robert Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anthony/) > [There's no way to escape who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kanal/there-s-no-way-to-escape-who-we-are/) [Tony Kanal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kanal/) > [The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-saporta/the-best-way-to-escape-from-a-problem-is-to-solve-it/) Alan Saporta > [The only way is to escape,Is to exit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sire-s-saquief/the-only-way-is-to-escape-is-to-exit/) Sire S Saquief > [There's basically filth everywhere, and there's no way to escape it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/there-s-basically-filth-everywhere-and-there-s-no-way-to-escape-it/) [Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/) > [The best way to escape from problems is to face it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manasreddy/the-best-way-to-escape-from-problems-is-to-face-it/) Manasreddy > [Absolutely no way to escape enigmans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/absolutely-no-way-to-escape-enigmans/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The Best Way To Escape Your Problem Is To Solve It.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-way-to-escape-your-problem-is-to-solve-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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. 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Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) [Browse all 3,919 Army quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sun Tzu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-way-of-escape/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Army" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-way-of-escape/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/sun-tzu-283_army_to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-w_1504640.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/sun-tzu-283_army_to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-w_1504640.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/sun-tzu-283_army_to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-w_1504640.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape.” — 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": "To a surrounded enemy, you must...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-way-of-escape/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/to-a-surrounded-enemy-you-must-leave-a-way-of-escape/#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 } } ] } ```