Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
- Date
- c. 5th century BCE
- English wording
- Lionel Giles — Translator · from Classical Chinese
Meaning of “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance…”
The highest strategic result achieves the objective while avoiding the destruction, expense, and uncertainty of direct battle when another path can work.
Where does it come from?
The Art of War, Chapter III “Attack by Stratagem,” section 2, Lionel Giles translation (1910), printed page 17 / scan leaf 73 in the original Giles edition on Wikisource, cross-checked against Project Gutenberg #17405. “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting” contrasts mere battlefield victory with achieving the strategic objective without direct combat. This remains ancient military-strategy argument in translation, not generic advice for business, relationships or ordinary personal conflict.
