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Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu Quotes

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Famous Sun Tzu Quotes

“No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique. If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are. Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.”

IfsShouldMayWarMovingFightingFieldsBattleAdvantageKingdomsDestroyedWhere You AreRulersTroopsArt Of WarGladnessStrategistVexationSpleenPique
Book:The Art of War
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“If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory. If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory. If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also know that our men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the nature of the ground makes fighting impracticable, we have still gone only halfway towards victory.”

IfsKnowsMenArtStillsWarFightingEnemyGoneConditionsMilitaryVictoryArt Of WarHalfwayStrategist
Book:Sun-Tzu on the Art of War: The Oldest Military Treatise in the World (Sunzi for Language Learners, Volume 1)
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“If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy in orderly array and on the point of marching to the attack, I should say: "Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will." Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.”

IfsWayShouldArtWarEnemyMilitaryAdvantageEssenceDearSpotsOpponentsUnexpectedHostRoutesArt Of WarOrderlyStrategistSeizingAmenable
Book:The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China
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“Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity; They cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness; Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports; Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of warfare; If a secret piece of news is divulged by a spy before the time is ripe, he must be put to death together with the man to whom the secret was told.”

IfsMenMindKindArtWarUseTogetherCertainSecretPiecesMilitaryHe ManNewsReportsSubtleWarfareEmployedSpyIntuitiveArt Of WarBenevolenceRipeIngenuityStrategistSagacity
Author:Sun Tzu
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“In executing an Artful Strategy: When ten times greater, surround them; When five times greater, attack them; When two times greater, scatter them. If the opponent is ready to challenge: When fewer in number, be ready to evade them; When unequal to the match, be ready to avoid them. Even when the smaller opponents have a strong position, the larger opponent will capture them.”

IfsTwoStrongChallengesNumbersFiveGreaterPositionReadyTenStrategyOpponentsSurroundCaptureFewerExecuting
Author:Sun Tzu
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“Getting people to fight by letting the force of momentum work is like rolling logs and rocks. Logs and rocks are still when in a secure place, but roll on an incline; they remain stationary if square, they roll if round. Therefore, when people are skillfully led into battle, the momentum is like that of round rocks rolling down a high mountain - this is force.”

PeopleIfsStillsFightingForceRocksBattleMountainRoundsSecureSquaresRollingMomentumInclineStationary
Book:The Illustrated Art of War
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