Sun Tzu Quotes: top 100 famous quotes about Sun Tzu

Sun Tzu Quotes & Sayings

Happy to read and share the best inspirational Sun Tzu quotes, sayings and quotations on Wise Famous Quotes.

Of old the expert in battle would first make himself invincible and then wait for his enemy to expose his vulnerability. — Sun Tzu

The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally — Sun Tzu

Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance. — Sun Tzu

One who sets the entire army in motion to chase an advantage will not attain it. — Sun Tzu

Know the enemy, know yourself and victory is never in doubt, not in a hundred battles. — Sun Tzu

Too frequent rewards indicate that the general is at the end of his resources; too frequent punishments that he is in acute distress. — Sun Tzu

Know the enemy and know yourself. — Sun Tzu

If your enemy is superior, evade him — Sun Tzu

When the position is such that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporising ground. — Sun Tzu

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. — Sun Tzu

He whose ranks are united in purpose will be victorious. — Sun Tzu

The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach. — Sun Tzu

To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence. — Sun Tzu

To persuade your enemy to (retreat) before the fight is to defeat them even before the battle begins. An enemy made ally is no longer an enemy. — Sun Tzu

In warfare, there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent will succeed and win. — Sun Tzu

If you are strong, appear weak. But if you are weak, appear strong. — Sun Tzu

Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports. — Sun Tzu

One may know how to conquer without being able to do it. — Sun Tzu

Appraise war in terms of the fundamental factors. The first of these factors is moral influence. — Sun Tzu

Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business. — Sun Tzu

Without harmony in the State, no military expedition can be undertaken; without harmony in the army, no battle array can be formed. — Sun Tzu

Weigh the situation, then move. — Sun Tzu

All war is deception. — Sun Tzu

He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them. — Sun Tzu

Agitate him and ascertain the pattern of his movement. — Sun Tzu

A good commander is benevolent and unconcerned with fame. — Sun Tzu

If this is long delayed, weapons are blunted and morale depressed. — Sun Tzu

Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and sternness. — Sun Tzu

Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster — Sun Tzu

Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust. — Sun Tzu

Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. — Sun Tzu

In difficult ground, press on; In encircled ground, devise stratagems; In death ground, fight. — Sun Tzu

Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient. — Sun Tzu

Without local guides, your enemy employs the land as a weapon against you. — Sun Tzu

We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors. — Sun Tzu

No nation has ever benefited from a prolonged war. — Sun Tzu

Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling. — Sun Tzu

The art of giving orders is not to try to rectify the minor blunders and not be swayed by petty doubts. — Sun Tzu

If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things. — Sun Tzu

Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared. — Sun Tzu

Who can determine where one ends and the other begins? — Sun Tzu

It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy. — Sun Tzu

The ref blew the whistle and the pack took off. The "jostling" from earlier had turned into a "melee" Sun Tzu would have been afraid of. — Shelly Laurenston

Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack. — Sun Tzu

To capture an enemies army is better than to destroy it. — Sun Tzu

And therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him. — Sun Tzu

The line between disorder and order lies in logistics ... — Sun Tzu

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt. — Sun Tzu

If his forces are united, separate them. — Sun Tzu

Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation. — Sun Tzu

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak. — Sun Tzu

If not in the interests of the state, do not act. If you cannot succeed, do not use troops. If you are not in danger, do not fight. — Sun Tzu

Against those skilled in attack, an enemy does not know where to defend; against the experts in defense, the enemy does not know where to attack. — Sun Tzu

Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day. — Sun Tzu

All war is based on deception. — Sun Tzu

If the enemy know not where he will be attacked, he must prepare in every quarter, and so be everywhere weak. — Sun Tzu

The Art of War is self-explanatory — Sun Tzu

All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. — Sun Tzu

The wise warrior avoids the battle. — Sun Tzu

Pretend to be weak, so your enemy may grow arrogant. — Sun Tzu

The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. — Sun Tzu

Winning isn't enough. The acme of all skill is to defeat your enemy before taking the field. — Sun Tzu

He who is not sage and wise, humane and just, cannot use secret agent.s. And he who is not delicate and subtle cannot get the truth out of them. — Sun Tzu

Do not press an enemy at bay. — Sun Tzu

Therefore victory in war is not repetitious, but adapts its form endlessly. — Sun Tzu

If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril. — Sun Tzu

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. — Sun Tzu

The host thus forming a single united body, is it impossible either for the brave to advance alone, or for the cowardly to retreat alone — Sun Tzu

If I wish to engage, then the enemy, for all his high ramparts and deep moat, cannot avoid engagement; I attack that which he is obliged to rescue. — Sun Tzu

Birds rising in flight is a sign that the enemy is lying in ambush; when the wild animals are startled and flee he is trying to take you unaware. — Sun Tzu

You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended. — Sun Tzu

These are: (1) the Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) the Commander; (5) method and discipline. — Sun Tzu

When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is COLLAPSE. — Sun Tzu

Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain — Sun Tzu

So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence. — Sun Tzu

Sweat more during peace: bleed less during war — Sun Tzu

As water has no constant form, there are in war no constant conditions. — Sun Tzu

mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy — Sun Tzu

The successful person has unusual skill at dealing with conflict and ensuring the best outcome for all. — Sun Tzu

When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are faint from want of food. — Sun Tzu

If the enemy opens the door, you must race in. — Sun Tzu

To Subdue an enemy without fighting is the greatest of skills — Sun Tzu

Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men. — Sun Tzu

Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength. — Sun Tzu

15. In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed. — Sun Tzu

When the thunderclap comes, there is no time to cover the ears. — Sun Tzu

Like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more. — Sun Tzu

A leader leads by example not by force. — Sun Tzu

If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away. — Sun Tzu

If you follow the enemy's shifts and changes, you can always find a way to win. — Sun Tzu

What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations. — Sun Tzu

Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow. — Sun Tzu

When I have won a victory I do not repeat my tactics but respond to circumstances in an infinite variety of ways. — Sun Tzu

Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting. — Sun Tzu

When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is INSUBORDINATION. — Sun Tzu

When he pretends to flee, do not pursue. — Sun Tzu

Be where your enemy is not. — Sun Tzu

I will be able to forecast which side will be victorious and which defeated. — Sun Tzu

You have to believe in yourself. — Sun Tzu

Rapidity is the essence of war. — Sun Tzu