Quotessence
Home / Authors / Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu Quotes

Strategist

Filter quotes by topic

AllWarArt Of WarArtEnemyArmyStrategistVictoryIfsWar StrategyBattle

Famous Sun Tzu Quotes

“If one trusts solely to brave generals who love fighting, this will cause trouble. If one relies solely on those who are cautious, their frightened hearts will find it difficult to control the situation. Now the method of employing men is to use the avaricious and the stupid, the wise and the brave, and to give responsibility to each in situations that suit him. Do not charge people to do what they cannot do. Select them and give them responsibilities commensurate with their abilities. He who relies on the situation uses his men in fighting as one rolls logs or stones. now the nature of logs and stones is that one stable ground they are static; on unstable ground, they move. If square, they stop; if round, they roll.”

WarTrustDelegation
Book:The Art of War
Create image

“Throw the troops into a position from which there is no escape and even when faced with death they will not flee. For if prepared to die, what can they not achieve? Then officers and men together put forth their utmost efforts. In a desperate situation they fear nothing; when there is no way out they stand firm. Deep in a hostile land they are bound together, and there, where there is no alternative, they will engage the enemy in hand to hand combat. Thus, such troops need no encouragement to be vigilant. Without extorting their support the general obtains it; without inviting their affection he gains it; without demanding their trust he wins it.”

DeathCourageDesperationGeneralship
Book:The Art of War
Create image

“Victory can be created. For even if the enemy is numerous, I can prevent him from engaging. . . . [I]f he does not know my military situation, I can always make him urgently attend to his own preparations so that he has no leisure to plan to fight me. Therefore, determine the enemy's plans and you will know which strategy will be successful and which will not. Agitate him and ascertain the pattern of his movement. Determine his dispositions and so ascertain the field of battle. Probe him and learn where his strength is abundant and where deficient. The ultimate in disposing one's troops is to be without ascertainable shape. Then the most penetrating spies cannot pry in nor can the wise lay plans against you. It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see the outward aspects, none understands the way in which I have created victory. Therefore, when I have won a victory I do not repeat my tactics but respond to circumstances in an infinite variety of ways. Now an army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so any army avoids strength and strikes weakness. And as water shapes its flow in accordance with the ground, so an army manages its victory in accordance with the situation of the enemy. And as water has no constant form, there are in war no constant conditions. Thus, one able to gain the victory by modifying his tactics in accordance with the enemy situation may be said to be divine. Of the five elements, none is always predominant: of the four seasons, none lasts forever; of the days, some are long and some short, and the moon waxes and wanes.”

WarWaterStrengthVictoryAdaptabilityVictory Creation
Book:The Art of War
Create image

“If I know that my troops are capable of striking the enemy, but do not know that he is invulnerable to attack, my chance of victory is but half. If I know that the enemy is vulnerable to attack, but do not know that my troops are incapable of striking him, my chance of victory is but half. If I know that the enemy can be attacked and that my troops are capable of attacking him, but do not realize that because of the conformation of the ground I should not attack, my chance of victory is but half.”

WarKnowledgeMilitaryVictoryGeneralship
Book:The Art of War
Create image

“Generally in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this. To capture the enemy's army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a battalion, a company or a five-man squad is better than to destroy them. 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. Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy. Next best is to disrupt his alliances; do not allow your enemies to get together. The next best is to attack his army. If you cannot nip his plans in the bud, or disrupt his alliances when they are about to be consummated, sharpen your weapons to gain the victory.”

WarVictoryAlliancesPlan
Book:The Art of War
Create image

“Война - это путь обмана. Поэтому, даже если [ты] способен, показывай противнику свою неспособность. Когда должен ввести в бой свои силы, притворись бездеятельным. Когда [цель] близко, показывай, будто она далеко; когда же она действительн далеко, создавай впечатление, что она близко. Изобрази выгоду, чтобы завлечь его. Сотвори беспорядок [в его силах] и возьми его. Если он полон, приготовься; если он силен, избегай его. Если он в гневе, беспокой его; будь почтителен, чтобы он возомнил о себе. Если враг отдохнувший, заставь его напрячь силы. Если он объединен, разъедини его. Нападай там, где он не приготовился. Или вперед там, где он не ожидает. Таковы пути, которыми военные стратеги побеждают. Но о них нельзя говорить наперед.”

WarVictoryLiesArt Of War
Book:The Art of War
Create image

“A sovereign cannot raise an army because he is enraged, nor can a general fight because he is resentful. For while an angered many may again be happy, and a resentful man again be pleased, a state that has perished cannot be restored, nor can the dead be brought back to life. Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent and the good general is warned against rash action. Thus the state is kept secure and the army preserved.”

WarWisdomPatiencePrudenceGeneralship
Book:The Art of War
Create image

“If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected .”

WarSecurityStrategyPreparationTactics
Book:The Art of War
Create image