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So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.

Sun Tzu

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Sun Tzu
Military Personnel
Philosopher
Strategist
Writer
Kingdom of Qi
Sun Wu
Sun Zi
Changqing
Victory
Military
War
Important
Thing
Operation
Persistence
Operations

More quotes by Sun Tzu

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He who knows things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated.
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A clever general... avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods. Disciplined and calm, he awaits the appearance of disorder and hubbub among the enemy. This is the art of retaining self-possession.
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The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side.
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Now this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation.
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In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.
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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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Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve.
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If I determine the enemy's disposition of forces while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. The pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless: if it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it nor the wise make plans against it.
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Use humility to make the enemy haughty. Tire them by flight. Cause division among them. When they are unprepared, attack and make your move when they do not expect it.
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Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.
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The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming.
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First learn to become invincible, then wait for your enemy's moment of vulnerability.
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Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.
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One who sets the entire army in motion to chase an advantage will not attain it.
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When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.
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It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them if five times, attack them if double, be able to divide them if equal, engage them if fewer, defend against them if weaker, be able to avoid them.
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Don't flail against the world, use it. Flexibility is the operative principle in the art of war.
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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
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In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.
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There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.
Sun Tzu