Sun Tzu Quotes
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501. “Perfection in war lies in so sapping your opponents will that he surrenders without fighting.”

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

503. “We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country...”

— Sun Tzu

504. “Agitate him and ascertain the pattern of his movement.”

— Sun Tzu

505. “Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply a question of subdivision; concealing courage under a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy; masking strength with weakness is to be effected by tactical dispositions.”

— Sun Tzu

506. “Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.”

— Sun Tzu

507. “If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst.”

— Sun Tzu

508. “Spies are a most important element in water, because on them depends an army’s ability to move.”

— Sun Tzu

509. “A wise general makes a point of foraging of the enemy.”

— Sun Tzu

510. “Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose.”

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

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

— Sun Tzu

513. “It is sufficient to estimate the enemy situation correctly and to concentrate your strength to capture him. There is no more to it than this. He who lacks foresight and underestimates his enemy will surely be captured by him.”

— Sun Tzu

514. “The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage and does not demand it from his men.”

— Sun Tzu

515. “Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all.”

— Sun Tzu

516. “Act after having made assessments. The one who first knows the measure of far and near wins – this is the rule of armed struggle.”

— Sun Tzu

517. “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

518. “Those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take, and with lures of ostensible profit they await him in strength.”

— Sun Tzu

519. “In the midst of difficulties we are always ready to seize an advantage, we may extricate ourselves from misfortune.”

— Sun Tzu

520. “For the wise man delights in establishing his merit, the brave man likes to show his courage in action, the covetous man is quick at seizing advantages, and the stupid man has no fear of death.”

— Sun Tzu

521. “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

522. “Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.”

— Sun Tzu

523. “Those who would wage war, should first eliminate all domestic enemies before proceeding to attack the external foe.”

— Sun Tzu

524. “Fierce language and pretentious advances are signs that the enemy is about to retreat.”

— Sun Tzu

525. “If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attached to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be unless.”

— Sun Tzu

526. “The ultimate in disposing one’s troops is to be without ascertainable shape. Then the most penetrating spies cannot pry in nor can the wise lay plans against you.”

— Sun Tzu

527. “Know the enemy and know yourself.”

— Sun Tzu

528. “To capture an enemies army is better than to destroy it.”

— Sun Tzu

529. “Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports.”

— Sun Tzu

530. “It is through the dispositions of an army that its condition may be discovered. Conceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory,; show your dispositions, and your condition will become patent, which leads to defeat.”

— Sun Tzu

531. “Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve.”

— Sun Tzu

532. “Unless you enter the tiger’s lair, you cannot get hold of the tiger’s cub’s.”

— Sun Tzu

533. “To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.”

— Sun Tzu

534. “Use humility to make the enemy haughty. Tire them by flight. Cause division among them. When they are unprepared, attack and make your move when they do not expect it.”

— Sun Tzu

535. “Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.”

— Sun Tzu

536. “Birds rising in flight is a sign that the enemy is lying in ambush; when the wild animals are startled and flee he is trying to take you unaware.”

— Sun Tzu

537. “In conflict, straightforward actions generally lead to engagement, surprising actions generally lead to victory.”

— Sun Tzu

538. “If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.”

— Sun Tzu

539. “Order or disorder depends on organisation; courage or cowardice on circumstances; strength or weakness on dispositions.”

— Sun Tzu

540. “So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.”

— Sun Tzu

541. “To plan secretly, to move surreptitiously, to foil the enemy’s intentions and balk his schemes, so that at last the day may be won without shedding a drop of blood.”

— Sun Tzu

542. “Therefore the victories of good warriors are not noted for cleverness or bravery. Therefore their victories in battle are not flukes. Their victories are not flukes because they position themselves where they will surely win, prevailing over those wh.”

— Sun Tzu

543. “Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity.”

— Sun Tzu

544. “Do not press an enemy at bay.”

— Sun Tzu

545. “One who sets the entire army in motion to chase an advantage will not attain it.”

— Sun Tzu

546. “In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack – the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.”

— Sun Tzu

547. “With regard to ground of this nature, be before the enemy in occupying the raised and sunny spots, and carefully guard your line of supplies. Then you will be able to fight with advantage.”

— Sun Tzu

548. “Invincibility depends on one’s self; the enemy’s vulnerability on him.”

— Sun Tzu

549. “To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable. The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy.”

— Sun Tzu

550. “Bestow rewards without respect to customary practice; publish orders without respect to precedent. Thus you may employ the entire army as you would one man.”

— Sun Tzu