The Art of War is a unique collection of the strategist and thinker Sun Tzu, the most famous ancient Chinese treatise. Quotes from the book are fundamental to military strategy, politics and military philosophy in general.
Quotes from the book “The Art of War”
War is a path of deception. Therefore, even if you are capable, show your opponent your inability. When you must bring your forces into battle, pretend to be inactive. When the target is near, make it appear as if it is far away; when she is really far away, create the impression that she is close.
If the commander speaks to the soldiers kindly and courteously, it means that he has lost his army.
The best war is to defeat the enemy's plans; in the next place - to break his alliances; in the next place - defeat his troops. The worst thing is to besiege fortresses.
Avoiding confrontation with great forces does not indicate cowardice, but wisdom, for sacrificing oneself is never an advantage.
Fury kills the enemy, greed seizes his wealth.
War is a great matter of the state, the basis of life and death, the path to survival or death. This needs to be carefully weighed and considered.
... a commander who understands war is the ruler of the destinies of the people, is the master of the security of the state.
If you find out that you have an enemy spy and is watching you, be sure to influence him with benefit; bring him in and place him with you.
Subjugation of other states without entering into a military conflict, that is, the ideal of complete victory.
To win a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the pinnacle of martial art. To defeat the enemy without fighting is the pinnacle.
Being close, they wait for those far away; being in full strength, they wait for the weary; being full, they wait for the hungry; This is the management of power.
War loves victory and does not like duration.
Invincibility lies in oneself, the possibility of victory lies in the enemy.
Being in order, one expects disorder; being calm, they expect unrest; this is heart control.
Power is the ability to use tactics in accordance with profit.
Go forward where they are not expected; attack where you are not prepared.
War is a great thing for the state, it is the ground of life and death, it is the path of existence and death. This needs to be understood.
War is the path of deception. Therefore, even if you can do something, show your opponent that you cannot; if you use something, show him that you don’t use it; even if you are close, show that you are far away; even if you are far away, show that you are close; lure him with benefits; upset him and take him; if he is full, be ready; if it is strong, avoid it; by arousing anger in him, bring him into a state of frustration; Having assumed a humble appearance, arouse conceit in him; if his strength is fresh, tire him out; if he is friendly, separate him; attack him when he is not ready; perform when he doesn't expect it.
Whoever, even before the battle, wins by preliminary calculation has many chances; whoever - even before the battle - does not win by calculation has little chance. The one who has many chances wins; those who have little chance do not win; especially the one who has no chance at all. Therefore, for me - at the sight of this one thing - victory and defeat are already clear.
If you have a thousand light chariots and a thousand heavy ones, a hundred thousand soldiers, if provisions must be sent a thousand miles, then internal and external expenses, expenses for receiving guests, material for varnish and glue, equipment for chariots and weapons - all this will amount to a thousand gold coins. day. Only in this case can an army of one hundred thousand be raised.
Waging war
If a war is waged and victory is delayed, the weapons become dull and the edges break off; if they besiege a fortress for a long time, their forces are undermined; if the army is left in the field for a long time, the state does not have enough funds.
When the weapon becomes dull and the edges break off, the strength is undermined and the means dry up, the princes, taking advantage of your weakness, will rise up against you. Even if you have smart servants then, you won’t be able to do anything after that.
Therefore, in war we heard about success when it was carried out quickly, even if it was conducted unskillfully, and we have not yet seen success when it was carried out for a long time, even if it was conducted skillfully.
It has never happened before that a war lasted for a long time and this would be beneficial to the state. Therefore, anyone who does not fully understand all the harm from war cannot fully understand all the benefits from war.
He who knows how to wage war does not recruit twice, does not load provisions three times; takes equipment from its own state, but supplies
...Here is an introductory fragment of the book.
Only part of the text is open for free reading (restriction of the copyright holder).
Sun Tzu, (544–496 BC), Chinese military leader and strategist
War is the path of deception. Therefore, even if you can do something, show your opponent that you cannot; if you use something, show him that you don’t use it... Attack him when he is not ready; perform when he doesn't expect it.
He who knows how to wage war does not recruit twice, does not load provisions three times; he takes equipment from his own state, and supplies from the enemy.
War loves victory and does not like duration.
The best war is to defeat the enemy's plans; in the next place - to break his alliances; in the next place - to defeat his troops.
The worst thing is to besiege fortresses.
Invincibility lies in oneself, the possibility of victory lies in the enemy.
The ruler can be compared to a boat, and the people to water: water can carry a boat, or it can capsize it.
If the higher ones love the rules of behavior and duty... - the people can be convinced without resorting to rewards, the people can be subdued without resorting to punishments.
A leader leads not by force, but by example.
Since today man is evil by nature, he certainly needs to be governed by completely wise rulers and re-educated with the help of rules of behavior and a sense of duty - this is the only way to ensure that all people will maintain order and turn to goodness.
Opportunities multiply if they are used skillfully.
If positions and affairs are not separated among people, misfortune arises: people strive to do only what is beneficial to them and fight for merit.
What happens without the participation of a person’s labor, and what he receives apart from his desires, constitutes the activity of heaven... When a person refuses to do what is intended for him and expects heaven to do everything for him, he is mistaken.
When the people are afraid of the orders of the ruler, there is nothing better than to show him generosity.
When people do not pay attention to the criticism and praise of the people and calmly put up with the loss of their sympathy, this is an unworthy way to govern the country.
A ruler who follows the path of virtue makes the people rich. Without wealth there is nothing to support the feelings of the people.
Managing many people is the same as managing several. This is a matter of organization.
Treat your people as if they were your beloved sons. And then they will follow you into the deepest gorge.
To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.
Build a golden bridge for your opponent to retreat.
When a person has a lot of free time, he will achieve little.
Without climbing a high mountain, you will not know the height of the sky. Without looking into a deep gorge in the mountains, you will not know the thickness of the earth. Without hearing the behests of your ancestors, you will not recognize the greatness of learning.
A person should do those things that, although they require hard physical labor, calm his mind.
Relying on laws and also understanding their provisions is the only way to achieve agreement.
Wise and capable people should be promoted to positions regardless of their position; the lazy and incapable must be immediately removed from office; the main villains must be executed without waiting for their re-education; ordinary, average people need to be educated without waiting for punishment to be applied to them.
Music is the source of joy for wise people, it is capable of evoking good thoughts among the people, it penetrates deeply into their consciousness and easily changes morals and customs.
When a perfect person has great knowledge and also checks himself daily and analyzes his behavior, then he is wise and does not make mistakes.
The willingness to sacrifice oneself to fulfill one's duty is the basis for maintaining life.
Newborns cry the same everywhere. When they grow up, they have different habits. This is the result of upbringing.
He who correctly points out my mistakes is my teacher; he who rightly marks my right actions is my friend; he who flatters me is my enemy.
SUN TZU "The Art of War": best quotes
1. To win a hundred victories in a hundred battles is not the pinnacle of military art. To defeat the enemy without fighting is the pinnacle.
2. If you know the enemy and know yourself, fight at least a hundred times, there will be no danger; if you know yourself, but don’t know him, you will win once, another time you will be defeated; If you don’t know yourself or him, every time you fight you will be defeated.
3. Invincibility lies in oneself, the possibility of victory lies in the enemy.
Therefore, one who fights well can make himself invincible, but cannot force his opponent to necessarily allow himself to be defeated. That is why it is said: “Victory can be known, but it cannot be achieved.”
4. Fighting a hundred times and winning a hundred times is not the best of the best; the best of the best is to conquer someone else's army without fighting. Therefore, the best war is to defeat the enemy’s plans; in the next place - to break his alliances; in the next place - to defeat his troops. Therefore, he who knows how to wage war conquers another's army without fighting; takes other people's fortresses without besieging them; crushes a foreign state without holding his army for long.
5. The rule of war is not to trust that the enemy will not come, but to rely on what I can meet him with; not to rely on the fact that he will not attack, but to rely on the fact that I will make it impossible for him to attack me.
6. Invincibility is defense; The opportunity to win is an offensive. When they are on the defensive, it means there is something lacking; when they attack, it means there is everything in abundance. He who defends himself well hides in the depths of the underworld; he who attacks well acts from the heights of heaven.
7. The rule of war says: if you have ten times more forces than the enemy, surround him on all sides; if you have five times more strength, attack him; if you have twice as much strength, divide it into parts; if the forces are equal, be able to fight him; if you have less strength, be able to defend yourself from him; if you have anything worse at all, be able to evade it. Therefore, those who persist with small forces become prisoners of a strong enemy.
8. If the enemy is on the heights, do not go straight at him; if there is a hill behind it, do not position yourself opposite it; if he pretends to run away, do not pursue him; if he is full of strength, do not attack him; if he gives you bait, don't take it; if the enemy army goes home, do not stop him; if you surround an enemy army, leave one side open; if it's in a bind, don't press it.
9. When disposing of the army, talk about business, and do not go into explanations. When disposing of an army, talk about benefits, not harm.
10. For someone who knows how to attack, the enemy does not know where to defend himself; For someone who knows how to defend, the enemy does not know where to attack. The finest art!
- Sun Tzu- Chinese military leader, strategist and thinker, presumably who lived in the 6th or 4th century BC. e. Wei Lao Tzu wrote about him: “There was a man who had only 30,000 troops, and no one in the Celestial Empire could resist him. Who is this? I answer: Sun Tzu." At the request of Prince Ho Lu, he wrote the subsequently famous treatise on military strategy - “The Art of War”. The ideal victory from Sun Tzu's point of view is the subjugation of others through diplomatic methods, without the use of aggression. This is the dialectic of loyalty and deception, strength and weakness, belligerence and peacefulness. Here are some quotes belonging to Sun Tzu:
- If you don't know what your children are like, look at their friends.
- There is no faster way to mastering knowledge than sincere love for a wise teacher.
- A person’s bad qualities and actions depend on himself.
- Trouble comes when people, in their laziness, forget to take care of themselves.
- Newborns cry the same everywhere. When they grow up, they have different habits. This is the result of upbringing.
- If you act too harshly, you will fail; if you act too softly, you yourself will find yourself in chains.
- You have to study all your life, until your last breath!
- A thoroughbred horse cannot cover distances of a thousand miles in one jump. On a nag you can cover this distance in ten days, if you don’t stop halfway.
- When a person has a lot of free time, he will achieve little.
- Wise and capable people should be promoted to positions regardless of their position; lazy and incapable people should be immediately removed from office; the main villains must be executed without waiting for their re-education; ordinary, average people need to be educated without waiting for punishment to be applied to them.
- Even if a person by nature has excellent qualities and wisdom, he must still receive a wise teacher and follow him, he must choose good people as friends and be friends with them.
- There is no need to argue with someone who likes to argue.
- The ruler can be compared to a boat, and the people to water: water can carry a boat, or it can capsize it.
- When you see good things, you should treat them with respect and check whether you have these qualities. When you see something bad, you should treat it with contempt and check whether you have these qualities.
- When asked an indecent question, you should not answer it. When talking about indecent things, you should not ask questions. When they say indecent things, you should not listen.
- Without climbing a high mountain, you will not know the height of the sky. Without looking into a deep gorge in the mountains, you will not know the thickness of the earth. Without hearing the behests of your ancestors, you will not recognize the greatness of learning.
- War loves victory and does not like duration.
- If you sit on the bank of a river for a long time, you can see the corpse of your enemy floating along it.
- The best war is to defeat the enemy's plans.
- He who correctly points out my mistakes is my teacher; he who rightly marks my right actions is my friend; he who flatters me is my enemy.
- Managing many is the same as managing few. It's a matter of organization.
- Newborns cry the same everywhere. When they grow up, they have different habits. This is the result of upbringing.
- Even if a person by nature has excellent qualities and wisdom, he must still receive a wise teacher and follow him, he must choose good people as friends and be friends with them.
- What happens without the participation of man’s labor, and what he receives apart from his desires, constitutes the activity of heaven... When a person refuses to do what is destined for him and expects heaven to do everything for him, he is mistaken.
To be continued…