"It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two."

"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."

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

"Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows, the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing."

"Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster."

"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."

"He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious."

"The supreme excellence is not to win a hundred victories in a hundred battles. The supreme excellence is to subdue the armies of your enemies without even having to fight them."

"When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce."

"Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory."

"To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

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

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."

"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."

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

"If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near."

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

"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'."

"All warfare is based on deception."

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."

"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."

"Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits."

"Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more confidential than those relating to secret operations."

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

"Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."

"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."

"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 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."

"The skilful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man."

"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."

"Understand both yourself and your enemy, and you shall always emerge victorious."

"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."

"The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution."

"All war is based on deception."

"In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good."

"There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare."

"Danger has a bracing effect."

"Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive."

"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."

"For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards."

"Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend, march swiftly to places where you are not expected."

"Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge."

"For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right, he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak."

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

"Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move."

"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."

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

"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."

"Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men."

"It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited and used."