65 Sun Tzu Quotes On Strategy, Enemy, Discipline, Love

Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and philosopher who lived in the Eastern Zhou period of ancient China. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the author of The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy that has affected both Western and East Asian philosophy and military thinking. His works focus much more on alternatives to battle, such as stratagem, delay, the use of spies and alternatives to war itself, the making and keeping of alliances, the uses of deceit, and a willingness to submit, at least temporarily, to more powerful foes. Sun Tzu is revered in Chinese and East Asian culture as a legendary historical and military figure. His birth name was Sun Wu and he was known outside of his family by his courtesy name Changqing. The name Sun Tzu by which he is best known in the Western World is an honorific which means “Master Sun”. These Sun Tzu quotes will motivate you in life.

Best Sun Tzu Quotes

1. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” ~ Sun Tzu
2. “It is more important to outthink your enemy than to outfight him” ~ Sun Tzu
3. “Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.” ~ Sun Tzu
4. “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu , Sun Tzu quotes on strategy
5. “All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable, feign incapacity; when active, inactivity. When near, make it appear that you are far away; when far away, that you are to lure him; feign disorder and strike him. When he concentrates, prepare against him; where he is strong, avoid him. Anger his general and confuse him. Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.” ~ Sun Tzu

6. “If you are strong, appear weak. But if you are weak, appear strong.” ~ Sun Tzu

7. “The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.” ~ Sun Tzu
8. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” ~ Sun Tzu
9. “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.” ~ Sun Tzu
10. “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.” ~ Sun Tzu , Sun Tzu quotes on enemy
11. “Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.” ~ Sun Tzu

12. “All war is based on deception.” ~ Sun Tzu

13. “Sweat more during peace: bleed less during war” ~ Sun Tzu
14. “Should the enemy forestall you in occupying a pass, do not go after him if the pass is fully garrisoned, but only if it is weakly garrisoned.” ~ Sun Tzu
15. “Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow.” ~ Sun Tzu
16. “If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.” ~ Sun Tzu
17. “Kill one, terrify a thousand.” ~ Sun Tzu
18. “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.” ~ Sun Tzu

19. “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” ~ Sun Tzu

20. “Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain” ~ Sun Tzu
21. “These are the six ways of courting defeat – neglect to estimate the enemy’s strength; want of authority; defective training; unjustifiable anger; nonobservance of discipline; failure to use picked men.” ~ Sun Tzu , Sun Tzu quotes on discipline
22. “Don’t flail against the world, use it. Flexibility is the operative principle in the art of war.” ~ Sun Tzu
23. “Do not engage an enemy more powerful than you. And if it is unavoidable and you do have to engage, then make sure you engage it on your terms, not on your enemy’s terms.” ~ Sun Tzu
24. “One need not destroy one’s enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage.” ~ Sun Tzu
25. “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night.” ~ Sun Tzu

26. “Opportunities increase as they are taken.” ~ Sun Tzu

27. “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” ~ Sun Tzu
28. “Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm” ~ Sun Tzu
29. “All wars are won or lost before they are ever fought.” ~ Sun Tzu
30. “Be where your enemy is not.” ~ Sun Tzu
31. “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.” ~ Sun Tzu
32. “Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.” ~ Sun Tzu

33. “A leader leads by example not by force.” ~ Sun Tzu

34. “Great results, can be achieved with small forces.” ~ Sun Tzu
35. “There are routes not to be followed, armies not to be attacked, citadels not to be besieged, territory not to be fought over.” ~ Sun Tzu
36. “The true objective of war is peace.” ~ Sun Tzu
37. “Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain” ~ Sun Tzu

38. “He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not will be victorious.” ~ Sun Tzu

39. “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” ~ Sun Tzu
40. “Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.” ~ Sun Tzu
41. “A sovereign of high character and intelligence must be able to know the right man, should place the responsibility on him, and expect results.” ~ Sun Tzu
42. “Correct your mistake as soon as you have found it.” ~ Sun Tzu
43. “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” ~ Sun Tzu
44. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.” ~ Sun Tzu

45. “Weigh the situation, then move.” ~ Sun Tzu

46. “If you fight with all your might, there is a chance of life; whereas death is certain if you cling to your corner” ~ Sun Tzu
47. “The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.” ~ Sun Tzu
48. “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
49. “When I have won a victory I do not repeat my tactics but respond to circumstances in an infinite variety of ways.” ~ Sun Tzu
50. “He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.” ~ Sun Tzu

51. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” ~ Sun Tzu

52. “Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.” ~ Sun Tzu
53. “The control of large numbers is possible, and like unto that of small numbers if we subdivide them.” ~ Sun Tzu
54. “When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.” ~ Sun Tzu
55. “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
56. “Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy; forceful execution of even a poor plan can often bring victory.” ~ Sun Tzu
57. “When you know both yourself as well as your competition, you are never in danger. To know yourself and not others gives you half a chance of winning. Knowing neither yourself or your competition puts you in a position to lose.” ~ Sun Tzu

58. “The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands” ~ Sun Tzu

59. “Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him” ~ Sun Tzu
60. “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
61. “Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.” ~ Sun Tzu
62. “The peak efficiency of knowledge and strategy is to make conflict unnecessary.” ~ Sun Tzu
63. “You can prevent your opponent from defeating you through the defense, but you cannot defeat him without taking the offensive.” ~ Sun Tzu
64. “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
65. “It is the business of a general to be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self-controlled.” ~ Sun Tzu

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