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.
SUN TZUThere 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.
SUN TZUAll warfare is based on deception.
SUN TZUIf his forces are united, separate them.
SUN TZUAttack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.
SUN TZUHence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
SUN TZUDo many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat.
SUN TZUConvince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm.
SUN TZUIf there is disturbance in the camp, the general’s authority is weak.
SUN TZUIf you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.
SUN TZUThere are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.
SUN TZUTo know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.
SUN TZUThe 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.
SUN TZUAppear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
SUN TZUIf you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.
SUN TZUForeknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy.
SUN TZUBe extremely subtle even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate.
SUN TZU