"Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins - this is the rule of armed struggle."
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Quote collection
Sun Tzu quotes (page 3 of 23)
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"Pretend to be weak, so your enemy may grow arrogant."
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"He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared."
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"There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: recklessness, which leads to destruction; cowardice, which leads to capture; a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults; a delicacy of honour, which is sensitive to shame; over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble."
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"Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared."
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"Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm"
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"In all history, there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. Only one who knows the disastrous effects of a long war can realize the supreme importance of rapidity in bringing it to a close."
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"To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy."
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"One who speaks deferentially but increases his preparations will advance. One who speaks belligerently and advances hastily will retreat."
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"All wars are won or lost before they are ever fought."
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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."
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"Do not engage an enemy more powerful than you. And if it is unavoidable and you do have to engage, then make sure you engage it on your terms, not on your enemy's terms."
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"However desperate the situation and circumstances, don't despair. When there is everything to fear, be unafraid. When surrounded by dangers, fear none of them. When without resources, depend on resourcefulness. When surprised, take the enemy by surprise."
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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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"All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used. Offer the enemy bait to lure him."
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"If your enemy is superior, evade him"
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"Opportunities increase as they are taken."
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"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."
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"Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength."
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"Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy"
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