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Sun Tzu -
Army
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31 Sourced Quotes
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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.
Sun Tzu
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It is through the dispositions of an army that its condition may be discovered. 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.
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Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.
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In warfare, 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.
Sun Tzu
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To maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.
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Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence.
Sun Tzu
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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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Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.
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Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.
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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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When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
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Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle.... They conquer by strategy.
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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 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.
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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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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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We cannot enter into alliance with neighboring princes until we are acquainted with their designs. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country - its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps. We shall be unable to turn natural advantages to account unless we make use of local guides.
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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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The proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause people's substance to be drained away. When their substance is drained away, they will be afflicted by heavy exactions. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and their incomes dissipated.
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It is imperative to contest all factions for complete victory, so the army is not garrisoned and the profit can be total. This is the law of strategic siege.
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He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
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In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should offer us an attractive bait, it will be advisable not to stir forth, but rather to retreat, thus enticing the enemy in his turn; then, when part of his army has come out, we may deliver our attack with advantage.
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Bestow rewards without respect to customary practice; publish orders without respect to precedent. Thus you may employ the entire army as you would one man.
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Spies are a most important element in water, because on them depends an army's ability to move.
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An army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness.
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Now an army is exposed to six several calamities, not arising from natural causes, 1 but from faults for which the general is responsible. These are: (1) Flight; (2) insubordination; (3) collapse; (4) ruin; (5) disorganisation; (6) rout.
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Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.
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To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a regiment, a company, or a squad is better than to destroy them. For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the supreme of excellence. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.
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Carefully study the well-being of your men, and do not overtax them. Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength. Keep your army continually on the move, and devise unfathomable plans.
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If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.
Sun Tzu
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Quote of the day
Remember I'm an artist. And you know what that means in a court of law. Next worst to an actress
Joyce Cary
Sun Tzu
Born:
543 BC
Died:
495 BC
(aged 48)
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