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Sun Tzu Quotes
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The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.
Sun Tzu
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Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and you know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you now Heaven and you know Earth, you may make your victory complete.
Sun Tzu
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Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve.
Sun Tzu
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A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.
Sun Tzu
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Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans, the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces, the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field, and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.
Sun Tzu
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A kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.
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Should the enemy forestall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned.
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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.
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If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.
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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.
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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.
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Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling.
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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.
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Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle.... They conquer by strategy.
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He who knows things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated.
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What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.
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The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side.
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When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
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Without harmony in the State, no military expedition can be undertaken; without harmony in the army, no battle array can be formed.
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He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.
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In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.
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The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally; but a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers and distances, constitutes the test of a great general.
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Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.
Sun Tzu
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He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
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The General who in advancing does not seek personal fame, and in withdrawing is not concerned with avoiding punishment, but whose only purpose is to protect the people and promote the best interests of his sovereign, is the precious jewel of the state.
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Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.
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If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.
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The quality of a decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.
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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.
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Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.
Sun Tzu
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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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