91 Famous Sun Tzu Quotes From “The Art Of War”
Get ready to dive into the ancient world of wisdom. Sun Tzu might have been a military genius from a time long gone, but his words continue to echo in our lives, offering insights that go way beyond the battlefield.
Whether you’re tackling everyday dilemmas, facing a tough decision at work, or just looking for a little inspiration to get through the day, Sun Tzu’s quotes are like little gems of wisdom waiting to be discovered. And the best part? You don’t need to be a history buff or a strategy guru to appreciate them! We promise you’ll find nuggets of wisdom that will make you pause, think, and maybe even see the world a little differently. Let the journey begin!
Most Famous Sun Tzu Quotes
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
“To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”
“There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.”
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Sun Tzu’s Art Of War Quotes
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
“The skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.”
“There are not more than five primary colors, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever be seen.”
“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”
“When strong, appear weak; when weak, appear strong.”
“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.”
“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”
“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”
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Sun Tzu’s Leadership Quotes
“A leader leads by example, not by force.”
“To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.”
“Management of many is the same as management of few. It is a matter of organization.”
“He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.”
“The commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage, and strictness.”
“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.”
“The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.”
“If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame.”
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Sun Tzu’s Quotes On Strategy
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”
“In war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
“Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
“He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.”
“He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.”
“He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”
“He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”
“Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.”
“Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men.”
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Sun Tzu’s Enemy Quotes
“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.”
“It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you.”
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
“Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy’s strategy.”
“The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
“If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”
“When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet, he is relying on the natural strength of his position.”
“When he is taking his ease, he is most vulnerable.”
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Sun Tzu’s Quotes On Discipline
“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.”
“If the orders are not clear, it is the fault of the general that the troops do not obey.”
“Order or disorder depends on organization; courage or cowardice on circumstances; strength or weakness on dispositions.”
“Discipline and calm, to await the appearance of disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy:—this is the art of retaining self-possession.”
“To be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues.”
“Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose.”
“By altering his arrangements and changing his plans, the skillful general keeps the enemy without definite knowledge.”
“To lead an army to war without deceit is to destroy it.”
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Sun Tzu’s Inspirational And Motivational Quotes
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
“Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.”
“Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness.”
“Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate.”
“Quickness is the essence of the war.”
“Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.”
“When your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. When he is in superior strength, evade him.”
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Sun Tzu’s Quotes On Intelligence
“The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”
“Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity.”
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”
“Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of warfare.”
“Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.”
“Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy.”
“There are five kinds of spies: local spies, inward spies, converted spies, doomed spies, and surviving spies. When all these five types of spies are at work and their operations are clandestine, it is called the ‘divine manipulation of threads’ and is the treasure of the sovereign.”
“When the enemy’s spies have been bribed to serve you, you must treat them with the utmost liberality; thus they will become converted spies and available for your service.”
“Hence it is that which none in the whole army are more intimate relations to be maintained than with spies. None should be more liberally rewarded. In no other business should greater secrecy be preserved.”
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Sun Tzu’s Battle Quotes
“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.”
“Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.”
“The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought.”
“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.”
“The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities…It is best to win without fighting.”
“To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
“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.”
“The general who does not advance to seek glory or does not withdraw to avoid punishment, but cares for only the people’s security and promotes the people’s interest, is the jewel of the kingdom.”
Sun Tzu’s Patience Quotes
“If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”
“One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.”
“Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.”
“Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.”
“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.”
“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”
“Use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying and thereby they achieve great results.”