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The art of using troops is this:
When ten to the enemy's one, surround him;
When five times his strength, attack him;
If double his strength, divide him;
If equally matched you may engage him;
If weaker numerically, be capable of withdrawing;
And if in all respects unequal, be capable of eluding him, for a small force is but booty for one more powerful.
Sun Tzu
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Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.
Sun Tzu
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Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all.
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In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack.. the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.
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There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.
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War is a matter of vital importance to the state; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied.
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The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.
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These are six ways of courting defeat, which must be carefully noted by the general who has attained a responsible post.
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Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men.
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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.
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He who wishes to fight must first count the cost. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be dampened. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.
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What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.
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He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance.
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Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.
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The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points; and his forces being thus distributed in many directions, the numbers we shall have to face at any given point will be proportionately few.
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Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.
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If you are situated at a great distance from the enemy, and the strength of the two armies is equal, it is not easy to provoke a battle, and fighting will be to your disadvantage.
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From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensue.
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When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if round-shaped to go rolling down.
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Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.
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Thus the skilful general conducts his army just as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.
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Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.
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So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. 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.
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Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence.
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Unless you enter the tiger's lair, you cannot get hold of the tiger's cub's.
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If I am able to determine the enemy's dispositions while at the same time I conceal my own, then I can concentrate and he must divide.
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If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.
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One whose troops repeatedly congregate in small groups here and there, whispering together, has lost the masses. One who frequently grants rewards is in deep distress. One who frequently imposes punishments is in great difficulty. One who is at first excessively brutal and then fears the masses is the pinnacle of stupidity.
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In warfare, there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent will succeed and win.
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To plan secretly, to move surreptitiously, to foil the enemy's intentions and balk his schemes, so that at last the day may be won without shedding a drop of blood.
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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