Sun Tzu Quotes on Enemy (20 Quotes)

To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.

When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy. Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated with the utmost liberality.

Those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take, and with lures of ostensible profit they await him in strength.

Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him.

The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near.

For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards.

All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable when using our forces, we must seem 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.

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.

Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

A wise general makes a point of foraging of the enemy.

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.

Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge.

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.

He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.