Top 350 Sun Tzu Quotes (2025 Update)
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101. “Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.”

— Sun Tzu

102. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

104. “The natural formation of the country is the soldier’s best ally; but a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers and distances, constitutes the test of a great general.”

— Sun Tzu

105. “If you are situated at a great distance from the enemy, and the strength of the two armies is equal, it is not easy to provoke a battle, and fighting will be to your disadvantage.”

— Sun Tzu

106. “A leader leads by example not by force.”

— Sun Tzu

107. “The natural formation of the country is the soldier’s best ally.”

— Sun Tzu

108. “All war is based on deception.”

— Sun Tzu

109. “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.”

— Sun Tzu

110. “Kill one, terrify a thousand.”

— Sun Tzu

111. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”

— Sun Tzu

112. “And regulation entails organizational effectiveness, a chain of command, and a structure for logistical support.”

— Sun Tzu

113. “All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used. Offer the enemy bait to lure him.”

— Sun Tzu

114. “Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.”

— Sun Tzu

115. “If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders are clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers.”

— Sun Tzu

116. “Wheels of justice grind slow but grind fine.”

— Sun Tzu

117. “Correct your mistake as soon as you have found it.”

— Sun Tzu

118. “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

119. “The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.”

— Sun Tzu

120. “Don’t flail against the world, use it. Flexibility is the operative principle in the art of war.”

— Sun Tzu

121. “Be where your enemy is not.”

— Sun Tzu

122. “If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight.”

— Sun Tzu

123. “Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength.”

— Sun Tzu

124. “All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”

— Sun Tzu

125. “When the thunderclap comes, there is no time to cover the ears.”

— Sun Tzu

126. “All wars are won or lost before they are ever fought.”

— Sun Tzu

127. “I will be able to forecast which side will be victorious and which defeated.”

— Sun Tzu

128. “Pretend to be weak, so your enemy may grow arrogant.”

— Sun Tzu

129. “It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy’s strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, be able to divide them; if equal, engage them; if fewer, be able to evade them; if weaker, be able to avoid them.”

— Sun Tzu

130. “It is more important to outhink your enemy, than to outfight him.”

— Sun Tzu

131. “Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling.”

— Sun Tzu

132. “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.”

— Sun Tzu

133. “He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”

— Sun Tzu

134. “Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack.”

— Sun Tzu

135. “If a battle can not be won do not fight it.”

— Sun Tzu

136. “Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.”

— Sun Tzu

137. “The Art of War is self-explanatory.”

— Sun Tzu

138. “Keep their friends close and their enemies closer.”

— Sun Tzu

139. “In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.”

— Sun Tzu

140. “Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.”

— Sun Tzu

141. “One need not destroy one’s enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage.”

— Sun Tzu

142. “There is no place where espionage is not possible.”

— Sun Tzu

143. “In war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military power.”

— Sun Tzu

144. “The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success.”

— Sun Tzu

145. “Subtle and insubstantial, the expert leaves no trace; divinely mysterious, he is inaudible. Thus he is master of his enemy’s fate.”

— Sun Tzu

146. “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.”

— Sun Tzu

147. “When the leader is morally weak and his discipline not strict, when his instructions and guidance are not enlightened, when there are no consistent rules, neighboring rulers will take advantage of this.”

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

149. “The height of strategy, is to attack your opponent’s strategy.”

— Sun Tzu

150. “What is of the greatest importance in war is extraordinary speed: One cannot afford to neglect opportunity.”

— Sun Tzu