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Therefore I say: know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.
Sun Tzu
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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.
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No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.
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Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
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Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.
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When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.
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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.
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The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy
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Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins - this is the rule of armed struggle.
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The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.
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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.
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Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.
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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.
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All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.
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It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.
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The art of giving orders is not to try to rectify the minor blunders and not be swayed by petty doubts.
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When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be rout.
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Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.
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The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy. Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated with the utmost liberality.
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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.
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Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.
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So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.
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With regard to precipitous heights, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up.
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Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity.
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Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.
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When the position is such that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporising ground.
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The military has no constant form, just as water has no constant shape - adapt as you face the enemy, without letting them know beforehand what you are going to do.
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The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch'ang mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both.
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Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy... use the conquered foe to augment one's own strength.
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Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.
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Sun Tzu
Born:
543 BC
Died:
495 BC
(aged 48)
Bio:
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher who lived in the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China.
Known for:
The Art of War
Most used words:
enemy
victory
army
war
general
attack
battle
fight
ground
men
fighting
win
strength
soldiers
result
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