Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay, is desperate ground.

it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity.

Therefore the victories of good warriors are not noted for cleverness or bravery. Therefore their victories in battle are not flukes. Their victories are not flukes because they position themselves where they will surely win,...

When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away…

Be stern in the council-chamber, [Show no weakness, and insist on your plans being ratified by the sovereign.] so that you may control the situation.

These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.

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

War is based on deception.

defeat the enemies strategy

One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful, subduing the other’s military without battle is the most skillful.

For should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen...

Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind.

The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming.

Be 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.

Do not press an enemy at bay.

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

Never venture, never win!

To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the enemy’s numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.

When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your...

It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited...

To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy’s fate in our hands.

At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose...

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

If 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.

The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side.

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.

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Ciente de tuas capacidades e limitações, não inicies nenhuma empreitada que não possas levar a cabo.

the worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible, and hence we can hold the enemy’s fate in our hands.

A kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.

A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.

When one treats people with benevolence, justice, and righteoousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders’.

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.

When an invading force crosses a river in its onward march, do not advance to meet it in mid-stream. It will be best to let half the army get across, and then deliver your attack.

If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.

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

So it is said that victory can be made.

If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst. [One may know the condition of a whole army from the behavior of a single man.]

The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.

If quick, I survive.If not quick, I am lost.This is “death.

Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.

He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.

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...

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

It is best to keep one’s own state intact; to crush the enemy’s state is only second best.

You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

He who advances without seeking fame,Who retreats without escaping blame,He whose one aim is to protect his people and serve his lord,The man is a jewel of the Realm