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" Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack. "

Sun Tzu

Opponent

Attack

Defend

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" For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards. "

" To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence. "

" Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories. "

" Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death. "

" 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. "

" Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men. "

" If your opponent is of choleric temper, irritate him. "

" If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near. "

" To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. "

" If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity. "

" The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. "

" If fighting is sure to result in victory, than you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler's bidding. "

" The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. "

" It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results. "

" Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy. "

" Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. "

" He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. "

" He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. "

" Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance. "

" If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. "

" Balk the enemy's power; force him to reveal himself. "

" 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. "

" Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared. "

" Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more confidential than those relating to secret operations. "

Sun Tzu

Liberal

Matters

" 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. "

" If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril. "

" The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom. "

" 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. "

" If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory. "

" Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster. "