65 Sun Tzu’s Quotes Are Definitely Worth Remembering Before You Get Old. Sun Tzu was a Chinese military general, philosopher, and strategist who lived during the Eastern Zhou period.
More or less, what we know is that he claims to be the author of “The Art of War,” a treatise on war by a Chinese General named Sun Tzu, written around 500 BC, that goes far in extending the concept of strategy as a central.
Learning from Sun Tzu is extremely useful in the modern world. You can apply his insights in some of the business aspects of life, including communication, conflict resolution, risk assessment and decision making, and much more.
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general who wrote the ultimate handbook on warfare that sported the beautiful title, The Art of War.
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Sun Tzu’s Quotes
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
“Quickness is the essence of the war.”
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”
“One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.”
“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”
“To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.”
“There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.”
“One mark of a great soldier is that he fights on his own terms or fights not at all.”
“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons, and they will follow you into the deepest valley.”
“Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”
“Move swift as the wind and closely formed as the wood. Attack like the fire and be still as the
Mountain.”
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.”
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil when full, starve them. when settled, make them move.”
“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”
“Who wishes to fight must first count the cost.”
“If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”
“Know yourself and you will win all battles.”
“Never venture, never win!”
“To win 100 victories in 100 battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”
“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”
“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.”
“The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
“Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.”
“The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”
“What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins but excels in winning with ease.”
“Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.”
“You have to believe in yourself.”
“If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.”
“Thus the expert in battle moved the enemy, and is not moved by him.”
“Attack is the secret of defense, and defense is the planning of an attack.”
“Great results can be achieved with small forces.”
“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”
“If quick, I survive. If not quick, I am lost. This is death.”
Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever
Fighting.”
“If you ignore both your enemy, and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”
“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.”
“Wheels of justice grind slow but grind fine.”
“It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.”
“If his forces are united, separate them.”
“You can’t trust a man who has nothing to lose.”
“Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.”
“If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will be weak everywhere.”
“Be where your enemy is not.”
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“An enemy is a friend who knows too much about you.”
“If there is disturbance in the camp, the general’s authority is weak.”
“Disorder came from order, fear came from courage, weakness came from strength.”
“If your friend is friends with your enemy, it means that you should not hang out with this friend.”
Beware of sugar that is mixed with poison, beware of the fly that sat on a dead snake.”
“Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.”
“Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant
Conditions.”
“Regard your soldiers as your children, they will follow you into the deepest valleys, look on them as your own beloved sons.”
“A leader leads by example not by force.”
“He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.”
“In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them.”
“Strategy without tactics, is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is noise before defeat.”
“The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept.”
“One need not destroy one’s enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage.”
“Every animal with blood in its veins and horns on its head will fight when it is attacked.”
“Never trust a friend who is silent about your flaws.”
“The worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation.”
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