Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
SUN TZUTo 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.
More Sun Tzu Quotes
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Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
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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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Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose.
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To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
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In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.
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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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The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.
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So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.
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Every battle is won before it’s ever fought.
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Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.
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Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
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Be where your enemy is not.
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One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.
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Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.
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Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.
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Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.
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Those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take, and with lures of ostensible profit they await him in strength.
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He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight
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He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.
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Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.
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The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
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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 is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.
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If you fight with all your might, there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling to your corner.
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You have to believe in yourself.
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Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.
SUN TZU