The worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation
Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.
Bravery without forethought, causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a mad bull. Such an opponent, must not be encountered with brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain.
We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.
All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.
Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
Do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat
When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is INSUBORDINATION.
Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.
All warfare is based on deception. Hence, 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 a...
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.
Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.
If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst. [One may know the condition of a whole army from the behavior of a single man.]
If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive;and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attachedto y...
The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have...
All war is deception.
The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.