Top 200 Strategy Quotes (2024 Update)

1. “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.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Meaningful Quotes, Winning Quotes, Warrior Quotes

2. “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Military Quotes, Fighting Quotes, Victory Quotes

3. “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are 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.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes, Fighting Quotes, Competition Quotes

4. “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.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes, Fighting Quotes, Competition Quotes

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

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes, Military Quotes, Fighting Quotes

6. “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.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Military Quotes, Fighting Quotes, Quotes About War

7. “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.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Military Quotes, Fighting Quotes, Quotes About War

8. “Strategy is about setting yourself apart from the competition. It’s not a matter of being better at what you do – it’s a matter of being different at what you do.”

— Michael Porter

Also featured in: Competition Quotes

9. “Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes, Military Quotes, Quotes About War

10. “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Military Quotes, Fighting Quotes

11. “Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes, Military Quotes, Victory Quotes

12. “Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy’s unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Military Quotes, Fighting Quotes

13. “So the principles of warfare are: Do not depend on the enemy not coming, but depend on our readiness against him. Do not depend on the enemy not attacking, but depend on our position that cannot be attacked.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes, Competition Quotes, Quotes About War

14. “Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.”

— Michael Porter

Also featured in: Competition Quotes

15. “Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Military Quotes, Fighting Quotes, Crush Quotes

16. “In warfare, first lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle; if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brute strength alone, victory will no longer be assured.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Quotes About War

17. “Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.”

— Michael Porter

Also featured in: Competition Quotes

18. “When you have attained the way of strategy there will be nothing that you cannot understand. You will see the way in everything.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes

19. “All warfare is based on deception. If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight and if not: split and re-evaluate.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes, Quotes About War

20. “Start with the end in mind.”

— Stephen R. Covey

Also featured in: Intelligent Quotes, Future Quotes, Achievement Quotes

21. “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.”

— Peter F. Drucker

Also featured in: Business Quotes, Change Quotes, Intelligent Quotes

22. “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.”

— Michael Porter

Also featured in: Business Quotes, Choices Quotes

23. “The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.”

— Niccolò Machiavelli

24. “The wise warrior avoids the battle.”

— Sun Tzu

Also featured in: Warrior Quotes, Quotes About War

25. “No battle was ever won according to plan, but no battle was ever won without one.”

— Dwight D. Eisenhower

Also featured in: Victory Quotes, Quotes About War

26. “One must be a fox to recognize traps and a lion to frighten wolves.”

— Niccolò Machiavelli

27. “Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.”

— Henry Mintzberg

28. “Analysis Is the Critical Starting Point of Strategic Thinking.”

— Kenichi Ohmae

29. “Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.”

— Carl von Clausewitz

30. “America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests.”

— Henry Kissinger

31. “Defeat Them in Detail: The Divide and Conquer Strategy. Look at the parts and determine how to control the individual parts, create dissension and leverage it.”

— Robert Greene

32. “Strategy is a pattern in a stream of decisions.”

— Henry Mintzberg

33. “Innovation is the only way to win.”

— Steve Jobs

Also featured in: Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes, Impact Quotes, Winning Quotes

34. “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”

— Peter F. Drucker

Also featured in: Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes, Success Quotes, Leadership Quotes, Business Quotes

35. “If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.”

— Jack Welch

Also featured in: Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes, Competition Quotes

36. “Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It’s about saying no to all but the most crucial features.”

— Steve Jobs

Also featured in: Innovation Quotes

37. “Great companies are built on great products.”

— Elon Musk

Also featured in: Startup Quotes, Business Quotes, Quality Quotes

38. “Complexity is your enemy. Any fool can make something complicated. It is hard to keep things simple.”

— Richard Branson

Also featured in: Business Quotes, Simplicity Quotes

39. “Plan your work and work your plan.”

— Napoleon Hill

Also featured in: Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes, Hard Work Quotes, Action Quotes

40. “To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal.”

— Henry Kissinger

41. “An investor should act as though he had a lifetime decision card with just twenty punches on it.”

— Warren Buffett

Also featured in: Quotes About Money, Investing Quotes

42. “Action without planning is the cause of all failure. Action with planning is the cause of all success.”

— Brian Tracy

Also featured in: Action Quotes, Productivity Quotes

43. “If you decide that you’re going to do only the things you know are going to work, you’re going to leave a lot of opportunity on the table.”

— Jeff Bezos

Also featured in: Opportunity Quotes

44. “Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.”

— Seth Godin

Also featured in: Inspirational Entrepreneurship Quotes, Business Quotes, Growth Quotes, Marketing Quotes

45. “Manage the top line: your strategy, your people, and your products, and the bottom line will follow.”

— Steve Jobs

46. “A vision without a strategy remains an illusion.”

— Lee Bolman

Also featured in: Vision Quotes, Monday Quotes

47. “The trading rules I live by are: 1. Cut losses. 2. Ride winners. 3. Keep bets small. 4. Follow the rules without question. 5. Know when to break the rules.”

— Ed Seykota

Also featured in: Practice Quotes

48. “Strategy is a commodity, execution is an art.”

— Peter F. Drucker

Also featured in: Smart Quotes

49. “I would rather gamble on our vision than make a ‘me, too’ product.”

— Steve Jobs

Also featured in: Startup Quotes, Vision Quotes, Innovation Quotes

50. “Quality is the best business plan.”

— John Lasseter

Also featured in: Excellence Quotes, Quotes About Work