Sun Tzu Quotes

“To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”
― Sun Tzu

“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

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

“Be where your enemy is not.”
― Sun Tzu

“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

“[...]you don’t have to be Sun freakin Tzu to know that real fighting isn’t about killing or even hurting the other guy, it’s about scaring him enough to call it a day.”
― Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

“The King is only fond of words, and cannot translate them into deeds.”
― Teck Foo Check, The Autobiography of Sun Tzu

“In a world where ‘likes’ and ‘followers’ define worth, we have become a society of self-promotion and self-indulgence, where the true value of human connection and genuine experience is lost to the endless pursuit of more.”
― Jop Helm

“All armies prefer high ground to low.
["High Ground," says Mei Yao-ch`en, "is not only more agreement and salubrious, but more convenient from a military point of view; low ground is not only damp and unhealthy, but also disadvantageous for fighting."]
and sunny places to dark.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Make for fresh water and pasture, where you can turn out your animals to graze.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“The dryness of the climate will prevent the outbreak of illness.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“One may know the condition of a whole army from the behavior of a single man.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“If all the officers of an army are angry with their general, it means that they are broken with fatigue" owing to the exertions which he has demanded from them.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“On dispersive ground, therefore, fight not. On facile ground, halt not. On contentious ground, attack not.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“On desperate ground, fight.
[For, as Chia Lin remarks: "if you fight with all your might, there is a chance of life; where as death is certain if you cling to your corner."]”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“…take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Carefully study the well-being of your men, and do not overtax them. Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“The superstitious, "bound in to saucy doubts and fears," degenerate into cowards and "die many times before their deaths.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Spells and incantations should be strictly forbidden, and no officer allowed to inquire by divination into the fortunes of an army, for fear the soldiers' minds should be seriously perturbed.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“To mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy," is one of the first principles in war, as had been frequently pointed out.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“In attacking a powerful state, if you can divide her forces, you will have a superiority in strength; if you have a superiority in strength, you will overawe the enemy; if you overawe the enemy, the neighboring states will be frightened; and if the neighboring states are frightened, the enemy's allies will be prevented from joining her.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Feign stupidity"—by an appearance of yielding and falling in with the enemy's wishes. Chang Yu's note makes the meaning clear: "If the enemy shows an inclination to advance, lure him on to do so; if he is anxious to retreat, delay on purpose that he may carry out his intention." The object is to make him remiss and contemptuous before we deliver our attack.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise; for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“The warlike prince controls his soldiers by his authority, kits them together by good faith, and by rewards makes them serviceable. If faith decays, there will be disruption; if rewards are deficient, commands will not be respected.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Unless you enter the tiger's lair, you cannot get hold of the tiger's cubs.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Knowledge of the spirit-world is to be obtained by divination; information in natural science may be sought by inductive reasoning; the laws of the universe can be verified by mathematical calculation: but the dispositions of an enemy are ascertainable through spies and spies alone.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Worthy men who have been degraded from office, criminals who have undergone punishment; also, favorite concubines who are greedy for gold, men who are aggrieved at being in subordinate positions, or who have been passed over in the distribution of posts, others who are anxious that their side should be defeated in order that they may have a chance of displaying their ability and talents, fickle turncoats who always want to have a foot in each boat. Officials of these several kinds," he continues, "should be secretly approached and bound to one's interests by means of rich presents. In this way you will be able to find out the state of affairs in the enemy's country, ascertain the plans that are being formed against you, and moreover disturb the harmony and create a breach between the sovereign and his ministers.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War