The Art of War - 20 Quotes
Sun Tzu's Art of War is not only a treasure chest of military strategies. The philosophical ideas it contains is widely applied in the world of business, as well as everyday life. There is a Chinese saying: "the market is like a battlefield" (the dating scene is also like a battlefield). Understand that many bad things in life are avoidable. If you want to gain better control of your life, and not easily affected by others, then you must study Sun Tzu's Art of War.
Sun Tzu Art of War Bamboo Book (Source: bluefootedbooby on flickr.com)
20 quotes from the Art of War:
| (一) All Warfare is Based On Deception |
| All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. |
| (二) Many Calculations Leads to Victory |
| Making many calculations leads to victory, and few calculations to defeat. How much more certain is defeat if no calculation is done at all! |
| (三) Avoid Prolonged Warfare |
| Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. |
| (四) Win Without Fighting |
| To fight and conquer in all your battlesis not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. |
| (五) Know Your Enemy |
| If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. |
| (六) Put Yourself Beyond the Possibility of Defeat |
| The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in ourown hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. |
| (七) Choose Easy Enemies |
| What the ancients called clever fighters are those that excelled in securing victories by choosing enemies that are easiest to overcome. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage. |
| (八) Win with Indirect Methods |
| In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. Thus, the person who is adept at using indirect forces, can use it in such infinite ways like the ever-changing forces and elements of nature and the ceaseless flow of water in rivers and streams. |
| (九) Manipulate and Entice the Enemy |
| Thus one who is adept at warfare, manipulates the enemy by creating circumstances that will make them conform. Entice the enemy by giving away something he would definitely want to have. Lure the enemy with benefits that he desire, and ambush him. |
| (十) Disturb the Enemy |
| Thus when the enemy is well-rested, disturb and tire him. When the enemy is well stocked with food, starve him. When he is encamped and comfortable, move him. Attack where he needs to rush to defend. Move quickly along routes where the enemy least expects. |
| (十一) Light vs Heavy Travel |
| If you set a fully equipped army in march in order to snatch an advantage, the chances are that you will be too late. On the other hand, one who sends a lightly equipped army to go after advantages and gains is likely to suffer severe losses of stores and supplies. |
| (十二) Befriend Locals |
| We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbours. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country: its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps. We shall be unable to turn natural advantage to account unless we make use of local guides. |
| (十三) Avoid a Keen Spirit Enemy |
| A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggishand inclined to return, this is the art of studying moods. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of disorder amongst the enemy, this is control of the psychological factor. Use proximity to battlefield to counter enemies that come from afar, use well rested troops to counter tired and exhausted enemiesm, use well fed troops to counter enemies that are hungry, this is control of the physical factor. |
| (十四) Position Yourself |
| 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 made our position unassailable. |
| (十五) Give Dangers |
| Thus, there are five dangers that will plague any general. If he is reckless, he can be killed. If he is cowardly and desperate to live, he can be captured. If he is easily angered, he can be provoked. If he is sensitive to honour, he can be insulted. If he is overly compassionate to people, he can be disturbed and harassed. These five characteristics are the greatest pitfalls and mistakes of a general and the cause of disasters in any military operation. The destruction of an army and the deaths of generals are caused by these five dangers, thus they should be examined thoroughly. |
| (十六) On Punishment |
| When the men are punished before their loyalty is secured, they will be rebellious and disobedient. If disobedient and rebellious, it is difficult to deploy them. When the loyalty of the men is secured, but punishments are not enforced, such troops cannot be used either. |
| (十七) Regard Soldiers as your Children |
| Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death. If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder, then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose. |
| (十八) Move Only When there are Advantages |
| A warlord must not embark on a military simply out of anger. A general must not go into battle out of rage. Move when there are advantages to be gained. Cease when there are no advantages to be gained. |
| (十九) On Being a Good General |
| Two opposing armies may be at war with each other for many years, seeking the ultimate day of victory. However, if one is reluctant to part with honour and ranks, money and gold for espionage purposes and remains ignorant of the situation of the enemy, he is extremely inhumane. Indeed such a person can never be a general of men, can never be a good assistant to the ruler and can never be a master of victories. Thus, the enlightened ruler and the capable general are able to secure victories for their military campaigns and achieve successes that surpass those of many others. The reason is because of foreknowledge. |
| (二十) Use Spies |
| Thus, among all military relationships, none can be more intimate that that maintained with spies and secret agents. There can be no bigger rewards than those showered on spies and secret agents. There can be no greater secretive operations than those pertaining to espionage. Only those who are wise will be able to use secret agents. Only those who are benevolent, loyal and just are able to deploy and use secret agents. Only those who are thorough and detailed will be able to decipher the truth embedded in espionage reports. Such is the intricacy and subtlety of espionage. Indeed, there is no place where espionage cannot be used. |
Sun Tzu Art of War Full Text Reference:
http://www.artofwar.net/
http://www.chinese-wiki.com/Sun_Tzu_Art_of_War
