710 Quotes by Sun Tzu

The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.

The dance of battle is always played to the same impatient rhythm. What begins in a surge of violent motion is always reduced to the perfectly still.

Should one ask: 'how do I cope with a well-ordered enemy host about to attack me?' I reply: seize something he cherishes and he will conform to your desires.

When torrential water tosses boulders, it is because of its momentum. When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey, it is because of timing.

To perceive victory when it is known to all is not really skilful... It does not take much strength to lift a hair, it does not take sharp eyes to see the sun and moon, it does not take sharp ears to hear the thunderclap.

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

Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him

What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.