Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military book.
It is regarded as one of Asia’s most influential and well-known military treatises during the previous two thousand years.
The book discusses various aspects of combat and strategy, including as tactics, information collecting, and the need of battle flexibility.
It has been translated into other languages and is still a popular strategy and leadership literature today.
Here is a nice collection of quotes from The Art of War book.
Table of Contents
Best The Art of War Quotes
“The wise warrior avoids the battle.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“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 Art of War).
“Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler’s bidding.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
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Famous The Art of War Quotes
“In raiding and plundering be like fire, in immovability like a mountain.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“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.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“A leader leads by example not by force.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“To take a long and circuitous route, after enticing the enemy out of the way, and though starting after him, to contrive to reach the goal before him, shows knowledge of the artifice of deviation.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“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.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
Powerful The Art of War Quotes
“If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“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.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Knowing the place and the time of the coming battle, we may concentrate from the greatest distances in order to fight.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
Quotes from The Art of War
“The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of the trigger.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“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.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“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 you.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“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.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
Top The Art of War Quotes
“Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“All warfare is based on deception.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country—its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Walk in the path defined by rule, and accommodate yourself to the enemy until you can fight a decisive battle.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling our adversary to make these preparations against us.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
Popular The Art of War Quotes
“If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Forestall your opponent by seizing what he holds dear, and subtly contrive to time his arrival on the ground.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
“The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice.” ~ Sun Tzu (The Art of War).
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