Sun Tzu was a popular and influencial Chinese general, philosopher and writer and is credited for his book “The Art Of War.” Here are 101 Sun Tzu Quotes from his book and life sayings.
You will also love reading,
READ MORE: 101 Jimmy Buffett Quotes From His Songs
101 Sun Tzu Quotes
“All warfare is based on deception.”
Sun Tzu
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
Sun Tzu
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
Sun Tzu
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
Sun Tzu
“He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.”
Sun Tzu
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
Sun Tzu
“The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
Sun Tzu
“There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.”
Sun Tzu
“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”
Sun Tzu
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
Sun Tzu
“If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”
Sun Tzu
“When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.”
Sun Tzu
“The greatest general is not the one who can take the most cities or spill the most blood. The greatest general is the one who can win without bloodshed.”
Sun Tzu
“The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.”
Sun Tzu
“To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”
Sun Tzu
“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.”
Sun Tzu
“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
“The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
Sun Tzu
“When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.”
Sun Tzu
“In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.”
Sun Tzu
“If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.”
Sun Tzu
“In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.”
Sun Tzu
“The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals.”
Sun Tzu
“The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.”
Sun Tzu
“In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.”
Sun Tzu
“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”
Sun Tzu
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
Sun Tzu
“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.”
Sun Tzu
“A wise ruler does not reward an able minister without promoting him to office, or value an able minister without employing him. He does not use an able minister without obeying him, or scorn an able minister without humiliating him.”
Sun Tzu
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
Sun Tzu
“Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.”
Sun Tzu
“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”
Sun Tzu
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
Sun Tzu
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
Sun Tzu
“The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.”
Sun Tzu
“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.”
Sun Tzu
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
Sun Tzu
“Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.”
Sun Tzu
“If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”
Sun Tzu
“If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near.”
Sun Tzu
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
Sun Tzu
“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.”
Sun Tzu
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu
“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”
Sun Tzu
“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
“In war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.”
Sun Tzu
“He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.”
Sun Tzu
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
Sun Tzu
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
Sun Tzu
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
Sun Tzu
“When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.”
Sun Tzu
“A wise ruler does not reward an able minister without promoting him to office, or value an able minister without employing him. He does not use an able minister without obeying him, or scorn an able minister without humiliating him.”
Sun Tzu
“It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to spy against you and to bribe them to serve you.”
Sun Tzu
“The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
Sun Tzu
“Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.”
Sun Tzu
“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.”
Sun Tzu
“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
“To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”
Sun Tzu
“The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.”
Sun Tzu
“The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
Sun Tzu
“If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”
Sun Tzu
“If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near.”
Sun Tzu
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
Sun Tzu
“The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.”
Sun Tzu
“A wise ruler does not reward an able minister without promoting him to office, or value an able minister without employing him. He does not use an able minister without obeying him, or scorn an able minister without humiliating him.”
Sun Tzu
“There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.”
Sun Tzu
“Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”
Sun Tzu
“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”
Sun Tzu
“know yourself and you will win all battles”
Sun Tzu
“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”
Sun Tzu
“Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision,
Sun Tzu
to the releasing of a trigger.”
“Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.”
Sun Tzu
“Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.”
Sun Tzu
“You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.”
Sun Tzu
“Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack.”
Sun Tzu
“The Art of War is self-explanatory”
Sun Tzu
“Supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy’s strategy.”
Sun Tzu
“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons”
Sun Tzu
“The art of war is of vital importance to the State.”
Sun Tzu
“The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field.”
Sun Tzu
“Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”
Sun Tzu
“He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.”
Sun Tzu
“Violent language and driving forward as if to the attack are signs that he will retreat.”
Sun Tzu
“One cat at the hole, and ten thousand mice dare not come out; one tiger in the valley, and ten thousand deer cannot pass through.”
Sun Tzu
“Those skilled in warfare move the enemy, and are not moved by the enemy.”
Sun Tzu
“Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and sternness.”
Sun Tzu
“To prevent the enemy from fathoming one’s intentions is of the first importance.”
Sun Tzu
“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; not”
Sun Tzu
“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
“Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.”
Sun Tzu
“Go forth armed without determining strategy, and you will destroy yourself in battle.”
Sun Tzu
“The control of a large force is the same in principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.”
Sun Tzu
“One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.”
Sun Tzu
“Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it.”
Martin Luther King Jr
“If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”
Sun Tzu
“Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.”
Sun Tzu
“Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”
Sun Tzu
“Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”
Sun Tzu
“It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.”
Sun Tzu
“Be where your enemy is not.”
Sun Tzu