Sun Tzu Quotes (85 Quotes)

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.

Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more confidential than those relating to secret operations.

All warfare is based on deception.

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it if fighting will not result is victory, then you must not fight, even at the ruler's bidding.

Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

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

Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack.

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.

Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory.

One who sets the entire army in motion to chase an advantage will not attain it.

The skilful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man.

If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.

It is imperative to contest all factions for complete victory, so the army is not garrisoned and the profit can be total. This is the law of strategic siege.

Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.

All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

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.

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.

It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited and used.

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.

It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.

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

You have to believe in yourself.

Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise, for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.

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

He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.

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

To perceive victory when it is known to all is not really skilful. Everyone calls victory in battle good, but it is not really good.

Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.

Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.

Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.

If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity.