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It is a doctrine of war not to assume the enemy will not come, but rather to rely on one's readiness to meet him not to presume that he will not attack, but rather to make one's self invincible.

Sun Tzu

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Sun Tzu
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Kingdom of Qi
Sun Wu
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With regard to precipitous heights, if you are beforehand with your adversary, you should occupy the raised and sunny spots, and there wait for him to come up.
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Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity.
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So a military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape: the ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius.
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Whoever is the first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy will be fresh for the fight... Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy... By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord or by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.
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Weigh the situation, then move.
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The nature of war is constant change.
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Those skilled in attack move as from above the nine-fold heavens. Thus they are capable both of protecting themselves and of gaining complete victory.
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A warrior who is prepared to fight must also be prepared to die.
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Know thy self, know thy enemy.
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He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance.
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Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow...they have form but are formless. They are skilled in both planning and adapting and need not fear the result of a thousand battles: for they win in advance, defeating those that have already lost.
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Pretend to be weak, so your enemy may grow arrogant.
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Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.
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All war is deception.
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If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.
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We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country.
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Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans, the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces, the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field, and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.
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Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.
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Appraise war in terms of the fundamental factors. The first of these factors is moral influence.
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