710 Quotes by Sun Tzu

When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.

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.

The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.

In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.

On the field of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough; hence the institution of gongs and drums... banners and flags. Gongs and drums, banners and flags, are means whereby the ears and eyes of the host may be focused on one particular point.

Correct your mistake as soon as you have found it.

Know thy enemy and know thy self and you will win a hundred battles.

To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.

If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.