The Art of War / The Book of Lord Shang

‘Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be defeated.’ (ch. 3)

Its principal aim is to show how a strong state can be created and maintained, a state strong enough to resist its rivals and ultimately gain dominion over them.

the Wade-Giles system – and the other, more recent and introduced by the Chinese themselves, called pinyin.

the Wade-Giles system – and the other, more recent and introduced by the Chinese themselves, called pinyin.

War is a matter of vital importance to the state; a matter of life or death; the road either to survival or to ruin. Hence, it is imperative that it be studied thoroughly

Sun Tzu believed that a military struggle was not only a competition between military forces, but also a comprehensive conflict embracing politics, economics, military force and diplomacy.

The Art of War is to try to overcome the enemy by wisdom, not by force alone.

tactics that win one battle are very unlikely to succeed a second time.

This ‘foreknowledge’ cannot be elicited from spirits, nor from gods, nor by analogy with past events, nor by astrologic calculations. It must be obtained from men who know the enemy situation.

There are five qualities which are fatal in the character of a general: if reckless, he can be killed; if cowardly, captured; if quick-tempered, he can be provoked to rage and make a fool of himself; if he has too delicate a sense of honour, he can be easily insulted; if he is of a compassionate nature, you can harass him.