“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
Sun Tzu did not write The Art of War as a loose collection of aphorisms. He structured it into thirteen chapters, each devoted to a distinct principle of warfare.
CHAPTER I — LAYING PLANS (Strategic Calculation)
War begins in the mind before it ever reaches the field.
“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.”
“All warfare is based on deception.”
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
“If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.”
“If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
“There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.”
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
“The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought.”
CHAPTER II — WAGING WAR (Economy and Cost)
War consumes resources. Time is an enemy.
“Who wishes to fight must first count the cost.”
“There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.”
“Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy.”
“In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.”
“Poverty of the State exchequer causes an army to be maintained by contributions from a distance.”
CHAPTER III — ATTACK BY STRATAGEM (Victory Without Battle)
This is Sun Tzu’s highest teaching.
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
“To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”
“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”
“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”
“In war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
CHAPTER IV — TACTICAL DISPOSITIONS (Positioning and Invincibility)
First make yourself unassailable. Then wait.
“The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth.”
“The general who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.”
“Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.”
“To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
“The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.”
CHAPTER V — ENERGY (Momentum and Adaptability)
Formlessness. Fluidity. Creative variation.
“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.”
“There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination they produce more hues
“There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.”
“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.”
“The indirect and the direct lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle — you never come to an end.”
“Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all.”
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
“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.”
CHAPTER VI — WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
Strike where he is empty. Avoid where he is full.
“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
“Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”
“If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him.”
“If he is in superior strength, evade him.”
“If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him.”
“Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”
“If he is taking his ease, give him no rest.”
“If his forces are united, separate them.”
“If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them.”
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”
CHAPTER VII — MANEUVERING
Discipline. Order. Timing.
“In war, practice dissimulation, and you will succeed.”
“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”
“Thus the skillful general conducts his army just as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.”
“On the field of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough: hence the institution of gongs and drums.”
“On the field of battle, the sight of the enemy is not clear enough: hence the institution of banners and flags.”
“The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.”
CHAPTER VIII — VARIATION IN TACTICS
Rigidity kills. Adaptation lives.
“The general who thoroughly understands the advantages that accompany variation of tactics knows how to handle his troops.”
“In the midst of difficulties, we are always ready to seize an advantage.”
“When able to attack, we must seem unable.”
“When using our forces, we must appear 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.”
“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.”
CHAPTER IX — THE ARMY ON THE MARCH
Read the terrain. Read the men.
“He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.”
“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.”
“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”
“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys.”
“If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive.”
CHAPTER X — TERRAIN
Know the ground as you know your blade.
“Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called accessible.”
“He who knows the terrain and weather will be victorious.”
“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.”
“Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”
“Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight.”
CHAPTER XI — THE NINE SITUATIONS
Psychology of crisis.
“When people are united, they can accomplish anything.”
“Place your army in deadly peril, and it will survive; plunge it into desperate straits, and it will come off in safety.”
“In desperate position, they fear nothing.”
“The skillful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting.”
“The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach.”
CHAPTER XII — THE ATTACK BY FIRE
Controlled destruction.
“Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.”
“But a kingdom once destroyed can never come again into being.”
“Hence the enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution.”
“Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained.”
CHAPTER XIII — THE USE OF SPIES
Knowledge is power.
“What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.”
“Foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits.”
“It cannot be obtained inductively from experience.”
“It cannot be obtained by calculation.”
“Knowledge of the enemy’s dispositions can only be obtained from other men.”
“Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business.”
Beyond the chapter structure, certain core themes echo through the entire work:
On self-knowledge:
“Know yourself and you will win all battles.”
On patience:
“If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”
On decay and time:
“Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”
On empathy with the opponent:
“To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”