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To persuade your enemy to (retreat) before the fight is to defeat them even before the battle begins. An enemy made ally is no longer an enemy.

Sun Tzu

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Sun Tzu
Military Personnel
Philosopher
Strategist
Writer
Kingdom of Qi
Sun Wu
Sun Zi
Changqing
Even
Allies
Made
Begins
Defeat
Battle
Fight
Longer
Ally
Enemy
Persuade
Fighting
Retreat

More quotes by Sun Tzu

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It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited and used.
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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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Invincibility lies in the defense the possibility of victory in the attack.
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Subtle and insubstantial, the expert leaves no trace divinely mysterious, he is inaudible. Thus he is master of his enemy's fate.
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All war is based on deception.
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These are the six ways of courting defeat - neglect to estimate the enemy's strength want of authority defective training unjustifiable anger nonobservance of discipline failure to use picked men.
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Therefore I say: know the enemy and know yourself in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.
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the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.
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The ultimate in disposing one's troops is to be without ascertainable shape. Then the most penetrating spies cannot pry in nor can the wise lay plans against you.
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Move not unless you see an advantage use not your troops unless there is something to be gained fight not unless the position is critical.
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All war is deception.
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In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack.. the direct and the indirect yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.
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Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.
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