100+ Art of War Quotes By Sun Tzu That will Change your Life

#1 “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle”

#2 “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”

#3 “If you know the enemy and you 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”

#4 “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”

#5 “Who wishes to fight must first count the cost”

#6 “There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.”

#7 “All warfare is based on deception.”

#8 “It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy”

#9 “Anger may in time change to gladness… But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being”

#10 “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”

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.

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

“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.”

“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”

“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. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected .”

“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.”

Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:
1 He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
2 He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
3 He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
4 He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
5 He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”

“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”

“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”

“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”

“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. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”

“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 than can ever been seen.

There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of
them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.”

“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”

“know yourself and you will win all battles”

“who wishes to fight must first count the cost”

“If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”

“So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”

“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.”

“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.”

“When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.”

“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”

“What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.”

“One may know how to conquer without being able to do it. ”

“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”

“The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”

“Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.”

“You have to believe in yourself. ”

“One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.”

“If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.”

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.”

“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”

“Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.
But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.”

“Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him.”

“If your opponent is of choleric temper,  seek to irritate him.  Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”

“There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.”

“When one treats people with benevolence, justice, and righteoousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders'.”

“Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.”