"Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands."

"Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear, then he will be amenable to your will."

"If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak."

"The victorious army is victorious first and seeks battle later, the defeated army seeks battle first and seeks victory later."

"Balk the enemy's power force him to reveal himself."

"If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive;and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attachedto you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be unless."

"One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all."

"One need not destroy one's enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage."

"Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared."

"Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy."

"The art of war is the art of deception."

"Every battle is won before it is fought."

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

"The wise warrior avoids the battle."

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

"Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day."

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

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

"There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:(1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;(2) cowardice, which leads to capture;(3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;(4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame;(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble."

"The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom."

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

"It is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them."

"Who wishes to fight must first count the cost."

"Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate."

"There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited."

"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."

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

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

"Attack is the secret of defense, defense is the planning of an attack."

"The worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation."

"When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is COLLAPSE."

"Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him."

"Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack."

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

"Mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy."

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

"Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy."

"All war is deception."

"Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance."

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

"There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combinationthey produce more hues than can ever been seen.There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations ofthem yield more flavours than can ever be tasted."

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

"The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand."

"O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible, and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands."

"But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being, nor can the dead ever be brought back to life."

"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."

"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories."

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

"If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak."

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