Top 350 Sun Tzu Quotes (2025 Update)
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151. “He who relies solely on warlike measures shall be exterminated; he who relies solely on peaceful measures shall perish.”

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

156. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

162. “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

163. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

167. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

169. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

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

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

176. “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

177. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

181. “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

182. “In desperate position, you must fight.”

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

184. “If you are strong, appear weak. But if you are weak, appear strong.”

— Sun Tzu

185. “When you know both yourself as well as your competition, you are never in danger. To know yourself and not others, gives you half a chance of winning. Knowing neither yourself or your competition puts you in a position to lose.”

— Sun Tzu

186. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

189. “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

190. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

192. “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

193. “Probe him and learn where his strength is abundant and where deficient.”

— Sun Tzu

194. “Management of many is the same as management of few. It is a matter of organization.”

— Sun Tzu

195. “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

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

199. “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

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

— Sun Tzu