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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.

Sun Tzu

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Sun Tzu
Military Personnel
Philosopher
Strategist
Writer
Kingdom of Qi
Sun Wu
Sun Zi
Changqing
Form
Thousand
River
Maintains
Change
Already
Planning
Defeating
Need
Results
Rivers
Victorious
Great
Courses
Result
Adapting
Needs
Course
Flow
Skilled
Like
Winning
Plan
Battles
Adjusts
Fear
Battle
Effectively
Decisively
Lost
Plans
Advance
Formless

More quotes by Sun Tzu

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One whose troops repeatedly congregate in small groups here and there, whispering together, has lost the masses. One who frequently grants rewards is in deep distress. One who frequently imposes punishments is in great difficulty. One who is at first excessively brutal and then fears the masses is the pinnacle of stupidity.
Sun Tzu
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It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.
Sun Tzu
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To plan secretly, to move surreptitiously, to foil the enemy's intentions and balk his schemes, so that at last the day may be won without shedding a drop of blood.
Sun Tzu
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Who can determine where one ends and the other begins?
Sun Tzu
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Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuver. What is difficult about maneuver is to make the devious route the most direct and to turn misfortune to advantage.
Sun Tzu
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Set the troops to their tasks without imparting your designs.
Sun Tzu
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Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
Sun Tzu
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Bestow rewards without respect to customary practice publish orders without respect to precedent. Thus you may employ the entire army as you would one man.
Sun Tzu
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In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact to shatter and destroy it is not so good.
Sun Tzu
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Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
Sun Tzu
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Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead the good general cultivates his resources.
Sun Tzu
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So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.
Sun Tzu
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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.
Sun Tzu
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If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.
Sun Tzu
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There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefitted.
Sun Tzu
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The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.
Sun Tzu
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Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.
Sun Tzu
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When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal.
Sun Tzu
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In the tumult and uproar, the battle seems chaotic, but there is no disorder, the troops appear to be milling about in circles but cannot be defeated.
Sun Tzu
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The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.
Sun Tzu