Sun Tzu

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

“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”

“He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.”

“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”

“Move swift as the wind and closely-formed as the wood. Attack like the fire and be still as the mountain.”

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

“There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.”

“All warfare is based on deception.”

“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”

“The skillful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man.”

“Speed is the essence of war.”

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

“Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.”

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

“The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought.”

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

“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”

“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”

“Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”

“Know yourself and you will win all battles.”

“The power to wage war lies in the purse.”

“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”

“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”

“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”

“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.”

“Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows.”

“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”

“Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.”

“To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.”

“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”

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

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

“If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.”

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”

“He who advances without seeking fame, who retreats without fearing disgrace, is the jewel of the kingdom.”

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”

“What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.”

“Be extremely subtle even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious even to the point of soundlessness.”

“The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.”

“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”