"Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety."
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Quote collection
Sun Tzu quotes (page 22 of 23)
450 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"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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"When the position is such that neither side will gain by making the first move, it is called temporising ground."
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"From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensue."
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"These are six ways of courting defeat, which must be carefully noted by the general who has attained a responsible post."
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"Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and you know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you now Heaven and you know Earth, you may make your victory complete."
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"According to my assessment, even if you have many more troops than others, how can that help you to victory?"
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"When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are faint from want of food."
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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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"In executing an Artful Strategy: When ten times greater, surround them; When five times greater, attack them; When two times greater, scatter them. If the opponent is ready to challenge: When fewer in number, be ready to evade them; When unequal to the match, be ready to avoid them. Even when the smaller opponents have a strong position, the larger opponent will capture them."
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"Subjugating the enemy's army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence."
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"He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance."
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"When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce. If the enemy's troops march up angrily and remain facing ours for a long time without either joining battle or removing demands, the situation is one that requires great vigilance and circumspection. To begin by bluster, but afterward to take fright at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence."
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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."
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"Apparent confusion is a product of good order; apparent cowardice, of courage; apparent weakness, of strength."
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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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"Winning isn't enough. The acme of all skill is to defeat your enemy before taking the field."
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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 spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points; and his forces being thus distributed in many directions, the numbers we shall have to face at any given point will be proportionately few."
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"If quick, I survive. If not quick, I am lost. This is death."
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