3 quotations linked to The Art of War — Attack by Stratagem by or associated with Sun Tzu, with source notes, explanations and related topics.
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“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
Judgment includes restraint: choosing the wrong contest can be as damaging as fighting badly once the contest begins.
Source note: The Art of War, Chapter III, among Sun Tzu’s listed essentials for victory.
“Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
The highest strategic result achieves the objective while avoiding the destruction, expense, and uncertainty of direct battle when another path can work.
Source note: The Art of War, Chapter III “Attack by Stratagem,” Lionel Giles translation.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
Accurate understanding of both one’s own capabilities and the opposing side reduces avoidable strategic surprise and miscalculation.
Source note: The Art of War, Chapter III, Lionel Giles translation.