Sun Tzu Strategy Quotes & Sayings

Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical. — Sun Tzu

When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy. — Sun Tzu

Never venture, never win! — Sun Tzu

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. — Sun Tzu

All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. — Sun Tzu

Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will. — Sun Tzu

The peak efficiency of knowledge and strategy is to make conflict unnecessary. — Sun Tzu

The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points; — Sun Tzu

Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise; for the result is waste of time and general stagnation. — Sun Tzu

He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. — Sun Tzu

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 away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. — Sun Tzu

If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him. Though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force. — Sun Tzu

Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots. — Sun Tzu

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. — Sun Tzu

Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy — Sun Tzu

Danger has a bracing effect. — Sun Tzu

The height of strategy, is to attack your opponent's strategy. — Sun Tzu

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. — Sun Tzu

If, on the other hand, in the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune. — Sun Tzu

Great results, can be achieved with small forces. — Sun Tzu

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity — Sun Tzu

If his forces are united, separate them. — Sun Tzu

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is noise before defeat. — Sun Tzu

Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. — Sun Tzu

Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits — Sun Tzu

Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive. — Sun Tzu

5,6. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger. — Sun Tzu

You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended. — Sun Tzu

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.] — Sun Tzu

The art of war is the art of deception. — Sun Tzu

Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground. — Sun Tzu

The worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation — Sun Tzu

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win — Sun Tzu

To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence. — Sun Tzu

We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors. — Sun Tzu

If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak. — Sun Tzu

Defeat the enemies strategy. — Sun Tzu

When an invading force crosses a river in its onward march, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream. It will be best to let half the army get across, and then deliver your attack. — Sun Tzu

Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home. — Sun Tzu

Attack the enemy's strategy. — Sun Tzu

mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy — Sun Tzu

He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated. — Sun Tzu

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. — Sun Tzu

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. — Sun Tzu

If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak. — Sun Tzu

These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand. — Sun Tzu

Conform to the enemy's tactics until a favorable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in a battle that shall prove decisive. — Sun Tzu

Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. — Sun Tzu

Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him. — Sun Tzu

The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach. — Sun Tzu

Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. — Sun Tzu

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. — Sun Tzu

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. — Sun Tzu

A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. — Sun Tzu

The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent. — Sun Tzu

You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked. — Sun Tzu

When one treats people with benevolence, justice, and righteoousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders'. — Sun Tzu

Supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy. — Sun Tzu

Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength. — Sun Tzu

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 . — Sun Tzu

If you fight with all your might, there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling to your corner — Sun Tzu

So long as victory can be attained, stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness. — Sun Tzu

Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle ... They conquer by strategy. — Sun Tzu

There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen. — Sun Tzu

If we wish to wrest an advantage from the enemy, we must not fix our minds on that alone, but allow for the possibility of the enemy also doing some harm to us, and let this enter as a factor into our calculations. — Sun Tzu

First lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle; if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brute strength alone, victory will no longer be assured — Sun Tzu

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. — Sun Tzu

At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you. — Sun Tzu

Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day. — Sun Tzu

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 — Sun Tzu

Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack. — Sun Tzu

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. — Sun Tzu

If you do not take opportunity to advance and reward the deserving, your subordinates will not carry out your commands, and disaster will ensue. — Sun Tzu

who wishes to fight must first count the cost — Sun Tzu

Conceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory; show your dispositions, and your condition will become patent, which leads to defeat. — Sun Tzu

When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard. — Sun Tzu

Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind. — Sun Tzu

Do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat — Sun Tzu

When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home. — Sun Tzu

The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming. — Sun Tzu

When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is COLLAPSE. — Sun Tzu

When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is INSUBORDINATION. — Sun Tzu

Know the enemy, know yourself and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles. — Sun Tzu

Be stern in the council-chamber, [Show no weakness, and insist on your plans being ratified by the sovereign.] so that you may control the situation. — Sun Tzu

There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed. — Sun Tzu

If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve. — Sun Tzu

Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose. — Sun Tzu

To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable. The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy. — Sun Tzu