Sun Tzu quotes

"Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate." - Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu (commonly: "Sun Tzu", 孙子, simplified characters; in modern Chinese, the same characters also mean "grandson" with a toneless second syllable) (c. 400 B.C.) was the author of The Art of War, a classic Chinese treatise on military strategy. Sun Tzu's strategies and tactics utilize the "Eastern tradition of strategy that emphasizes outwitting an opponent through speed, stealth, flexibility, and a minimum of effort."

Sun Tzu quotes

• "If you understand the enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you understand yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you understand neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
• “The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.”
• "The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution."
• "A good commander is benevolent and unconcerned with fame."
• The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom."
• “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”
• "In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good."
• "Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate." (An alternative translation: "Subtle and insubstantial, the expert leaves no trace; divinely mysterious, he is inaudible. Thus, he is master of his enemy's fate.").
• "Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men."
• "He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”
• "So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak."
• "Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus, do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose."
• “Every battle is won before it is ever fought.”
• "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
• "Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."
• Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate."
• "What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy’s strategy.”
• "Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots."
• "It's more important to outthink your enemy than outfight him."
• "He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared."
• "For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."
• “If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.”
• “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
• "The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy."
• "Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack."
• "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."
• "Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him."
• "Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances."
• “He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.”
• "The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers."
• "Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals."
• "And therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him."

Statue of Sun Tzu in Yurihama, Tottori, in Japan

• "Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions.
• "Wonderful indeed is the power of spies. There is no occasion when they cannot be used."
• “What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.”
• "The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim."
• "Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance."
• "Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him."
• "...when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."
• "Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move."
• “If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.”
• "What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations."
• "There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare."
• "In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them."
• "In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack – the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers. The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle – you never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?"
• "Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more."
• “Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear, and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground.”
• “At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you.”
• "All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."
• "We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors."
• "If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him." (See: Irritating an opponent (military and political tactic))
• “No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.”
• “We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country—its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.”
• “Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”
• "Ground in which the army survives only if it fights with the courage of desperation is called 'death.' ...In death ground I could make it evident that there is no chance of survival. For it is the nature of soldiers to resist when surrounded; to fight to the death when there is no alternative, and when desperate to follow commands implicitly.”

Articles on the Sun Tzu quote "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting"

• The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting, Elevate Society

• Subdue the Enemy without Fighting – Become A Peaceful Warrior

External links

• Sun Tzu quotes - Audible blog

• Sun Tzu's 31 Best Pieces Of Leadership Advice - Forbes

• Sun Tzu quotes - Brainy Quote

• Sun Tzu quotes - Good Reads website

Videos:

• Sun Tzu’s Quotes on How to Win Without Fighting