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
- “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “It is more important to outthink your enemy than to outfight him” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu , Sun Tzu quotes on strategy
- “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
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“If you are strong, appear weak. But if you are weak, appear strong.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “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
- “Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.” ~ Sun Tzu
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“All war is based on deception.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Sweat more during peace: bleed less during war” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “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
- “If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Kill one, terrify a thousand.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.” ~ Sun Tzu
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“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “Don’t flail against the world, use it. Flexibility is the operative principle in the art of war.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “One need not destroy one’s enemy. One need only destroy his willingness to engage.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night.” ~ Sun Tzu
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“Opportunities increase as they are taken.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm” ~ Sun Tzu
- “All wars are won or lost before they are ever fought.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Be where your enemy is not.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.” ~ Sun Tzu
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“A leader leads by example not by force.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Great results, can be achieved with small forces.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “The true objective of war is peace.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain” ~ Sun Tzu
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“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not will be victorious.” ~ 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
- “Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “Correct your mistake as soon as you have found it.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.” ~ Sun Tzu
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“Weigh the situation, then move.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.” ~ 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 I have won a victory I do not repeat my tactics but respond to circumstances in an infinite variety of ways.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.” ~ Sun Tzu
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“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “The control of large numbers is possible, and like unto that of small numbers if we subdivide them.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “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
- “Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy; forceful execution of even a poor plan can often bring victory.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
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“The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands” ~ Sun Tzu
- “Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “The peak efficiency of knowledge and strategy is to make conflict unnecessary.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “You can prevent your opponent from defeating you through the defense, but you cannot defeat him without taking the offensive.” ~ Sun Tzu
- “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
- “It is the business of a general to be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self-controlled.” ~ Sun Tzu
