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Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.

Sun Tzu

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Sun Tzu
Military Personnel
Philosopher
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Kingdom of Qi
Sun Wu
Sun Zi
Changqing
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More quotes by Sun Tzu

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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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So the principles of warfare are: Do not depend on the enemy not coming, but depend on our readiness against him. Do not depend on the enemy not attacking, but depend on our position that cannot be attacked.
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Without local guides, your enemy employs the land as a weapon against you.
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If I wish to engage, then the enemy, for all his high ramparts and deep moat, cannot avoid engagement I attack that which he is obliged to rescue.
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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.
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Winning isn't enough. The acme of all skill is to defeat your enemy before taking the field.
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Factors in the art of warfare are: First, calculations second, quantities third, logistics fourth, the balance of power and fifth, the possibility of victory is based on the balance of power.
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In a position of this sort, even though the enemy should offer us an attractive bait, it will be advisable not to stir forth, but rather to retreat, thus enticing the enemy in his turn then, when part of his army has come out, we may deliver our attack with advantage.
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When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination. When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse.
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Should the enemy forestall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned.
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With regard to narrow passes, if you can occupy them first, let them be strongly garrisoned and await the advent of the enemy.
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Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.
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The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.
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Invincibility is in oneself, and vulnerability is in the opponent. Invincibility is a matter of defense, vulnerability is a matter of attack. Therefore skillful warriors are able to be invincible, but they cannot cause opponents to be vulnerable. That is why it is said that victory is discerned and not manufactured.
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The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.
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Apparent confusion is a product of good order apparent cowardice, of courage apparent weakness, of strength.
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When you do battle, even if you are winning, if you continue for a long time it will dull your forces and blunt you edge...If you keep your armies out in the field for a long time, your supplies will be insufficient. Transportation of provisions itself consumes 20 times the amount transported.
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He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.
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War is a matter of vital importance to the state the province of life or death the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied.
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So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak. 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.
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