“Never venture, never win!”

Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.

One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.

Wheels of justice gind slow but grind fine.

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.

To 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.

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

Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.

Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.

There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.

If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.

Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.

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

Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster,

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.

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

The wise warrior avoids the battle.

The same man cannot well be skilled in everything; each has his special excellence.

If there’s no risk, then it doesn’t take faith. If there’s no chance you can fail, then you don’t need God’s help.

A perfectionist has to take his time.

Don’t focus on what you think you deserve. Take aim at what you are willing to earn.

Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would steal them away.

Having a vision for what you want is not enough. Vision without execution is hallucination.

The people who make art their business are mostly imposters.