Top 350 Sun Tzu Quotes (2024 Update)
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151. “If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”

— Sun Tzu

152. “War is a matter of vital importance to the state; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied.”

— Sun Tzu

153. “The best general is the one who never fights.”

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

155. “A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.”

— Sun Tzu

156. “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.”

— Sun Tzu

157. “Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business.”

— Sun Tzu

158. “If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.”

— Sun Tzu

159. “The military has no constant form, just as water has no constant shape – adapt as you face the enemy, without letting them know beforehand what you are going to do.”

— Sun Tzu

160. “Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy’s plans, the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy’s forces, the next in order is to attack the enemy’s army in the field, and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.”

— Sun Tzu

161. “He whose ranks are united in purpose will be victorious.”

— Sun Tzu

162. “Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy.”

— Sun Tzu

163. “If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.”

— Sun Tzu

164. “Therefore, to estimate the enemy situation and to calculate distances and the degree of difficulty of the terrain so as to control victory are virtues of the superior general.”

— Sun Tzu

165. “Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm.”

— Sun Tzu

166. “If your enemy is superior, evade him.”

— Sun Tzu

167. “When your opponent gives you an opening, be swift as a hare.”

— Sun Tzu

168. “A warrior who is prepared to fight must also be prepared to die.”

— Sun Tzu

169. “The peak efficiency of knowledge and strategy is to make conflict unnecessary.”

— Sun Tzu

170. “He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.”

— Sun Tzu

171. “Quickness is the essence of the war.”

— Sun Tzu

172. “It is the business of a general to be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self-controlled.”

— Sun Tzu

173. “He who knows his enemy and himself well will not be defeated easily.”

— Sun Tzu

174. “When torrential water tosses boulders, it is because of its momentum. When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey, it is because of timing.”

— Sun Tzu

175. “If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near.”

— Sun Tzu

176. “What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.”

— Sun Tzu

177. “If you follow the enemy’s shifts and changes, you can always find a way to win.”

— Sun Tzu

178. “Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected.”

— Sun Tzu

179. “Ponder and deliberate before you make your move. He will conquer who has learned the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering.”

— Sun Tzu

180. “Therefore I say: know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.”

— Sun Tzu

181. “If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.”

— Sun Tzu

182. “Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.”

— Sun Tzu

183. “The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.”

— Sun Tzu

184. “You can prevent your opponent from defeating you through defense, but you cannot defeat him without taking the offensive.”

— Sun Tzu

185. “One defends when his strength is inadequate, he attacks when it is abundant.”

— Sun Tzu

186. “If not in the interests of the state, do not act. If you cannot succeed, do not use troops. If you are not in danger, do not fight.”

— Sun Tzu

187. “When he pretends to flee, do not pursue.”

— Sun Tzu

188. “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.”

— Sun Tzu

189. “Like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.”

— Sun Tzu

190. “The successful person has unusual skill at dealing with conflict and ensuring the best outcome for all.”

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

192. “The art of giving orders is not to try to rectify the minor blunders and not be swayed by petty doubts.”

— Sun Tzu

193. “An army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness.”

— Sun Tzu

194. “To capture the enemy’s entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a regiment, a company, or a squad is better than to destroy them. For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the supreme of excellence. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.”

— Sun Tzu

195. “In warfare, there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent will succeed and win.”

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

197. “If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”

— Sun Tzu

198. “Apparent confusion is a product of good order; apparent cowardice, of courage; apparent weakness, of strength.”

— Sun Tzu

199. “Attack where he is unprepared; sally forth when he does not expect you.”

— Sun Tzu

200. “Victory is the main object in war.”

— Sun Tzu