The Art of War

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

All warfare is based on deception.

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.

To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.

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.

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.

When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.