Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, strategist for the military also a writer and philosopher. The time he lived was (554 BC – 496 BC) in his time in the Eastern Zhou period. Sun Tzu is traditionally credited as the creator of The Art of War which is a significant piece of strategic military that influenced both Western as well as East Asian philosophy and military thinking. The antiquated Chinese book on war is an essential guide for decision-makers across the political spectrum from Donald Trump to Dominic Cummings.
The works of Sun Tzu focus more on alternatives to fighting including delay, stratagems, use of spies, and alternatives to fighting. This article is a collection of the quotes of Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu quotes. Sun Tzu quotes curation is drawn from his most famous quotes. I believe that these life quotes will make people consider. These Sun Tzu’s quotes are worth your time.
Best Sun Tzu’s Quotes on the Philosophy of War and Warriors
1. “There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.”
― Sun Tzu
2. “The wise warrior avoids the battle.”
― Sun Tzu
3. “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
― Sun Tzu
4. “The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”
― Sun Tzu
5. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
6. “To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.”
― Sun Tzu
7. “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”
― Sun Tzu
8. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu
9. “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
― Sun Tzu
10. “Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”
― Sun Tzu
The Art of War Quotes
11. “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu
12. “When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”
― sun tzu
13. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity”
― Sun-Tzu
14. “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”
― Sun Tzu
15. “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
― Sun Tzu
16. “know yourself and you will win all battles”
― Sun Tzu
17. “When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
― Sun Tzu
18. “who wishes to fight must first count the cost”
― Sun Tzu
19. “If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.”
― Sun Tzu
20. “Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”
― Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu’s Quotes
21. “One may know how to conquer without being able to do it. ”
― Sun Tzu
22. “To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”
― Sun Tzu
23. “One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.”
― Sun Tzu
24. “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
― Sun Tzu
25. “You have to believe in yourself. ”
― Sun Tzu
26. “If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.”
― Sun Tzu
27. “What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.”
― Sun Tzu
28. “He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”
― Sun Tzu
29. “The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”
― Sun Tzu
30. “When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them. Seem humble to fill them with conceit. If at ease, exhaust them. If united, separate them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.”
― Sun Tzu
Best Quotes by Sun Tzu
31. “Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
32. “Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him.”
― Sun Tzu
33. “The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.”
― Sun Tzu
34. “Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:
1 He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
2 He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
3 He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
4 He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
5 He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”
― Sun Tzu
35. “Wheels of justice gind slow but grind fine”
― Sun Tzu
36. “Rouse him, and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.”
― Sun Tzu
37. “It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.”
― Sun Tzu
38. “Anger may in time change to gladness; vexation may be succeeded by content.
But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.”
― Sun Tzu
39. “Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.”
― Sun Tzu
40. “He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”
― Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu Art of War Quotes
41. “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
42. “Never venture, never win!”
― Sun Tzu
43. “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
44. “Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.”
― Sun Tzu
45. “Be where your enemy is not.”
― Sun Tzu
46. “If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected .”
― Sun Tzu
47. “Every battle is won before it’s ever fought.”
― Sun Tzu
48. “There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.”
― Sun Tzu
49. “If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.”
― Sun Tzu
50. “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”
― Sun tzu
Sun Tzu Quote
51. “If his forces are united, separate them.”
― Sun Tzu
52. “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”
― Sun Tzu
53. “Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.”
― Sun Tzu
54. “If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”
― Sun Tzu
55. “When one treats people with benevolence, justice, and righteoousness, and reposes confidence in them, the army will be united in mind and all will be happy to serve their leaders’.”
― Sun Tzu
56. “Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground
over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation
to the foe whom he is facing.”
― Sun Tzu
57. “If quick, I survive.
If not quick, I am lost.
This is “death.”
― Sun Tzu
58. “Great results, can be achieved with small forces.”
― Sun Tzu
59. “Disorder came from order, fear came from courage, weakness came from strength.”
― Sun Tzu
60. “Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.”
― Sun Tzu
Battle Quotes by Sun Tzu
61. “Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”
― Sun Tzu
62. “Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.”
― Sun Tzu
63. “When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it clear to everybody that you have no hankering after home.”
― Sun Tzu
64. “Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.”
― Sun-tzu
65. “Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.”
― Sun Tzu
66. “But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.”
― Sun Tzu
67. “Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu
68. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight”
― Sun Tzu
69. “Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”
― Sun Tzu
70. “Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm”
― Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu Quotes
71. “To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the
opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
― Sun Tzu
72. “To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
― Sun Tzu
73. “If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”
― Sun Tzu
74. “the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
― Sun Tzu
75. “Bravery without forethought, causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a mad bull. Such an opponent, must not be encountered with brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain.”
― Sun Tzu
76. “If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.”
― Sun Tzu
77. “who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits”
― Sun Tzu
78. “mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy”
― Sun Tzu
79. “It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.”
― Sun Tzu
80. “Conform to the enemy’s tactics until a favorable opportunity offers; then come forth and engage in a battle that shall prove decisive.”
― Sun Tzu
81. “Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.”
― Sun Tzu
82. “If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.”
― Sun Tzu
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that you enjoyed this Sun Tzu quote. What Sun Tzu quotes have you enjoyed the most from this list? Let us know your Sun Tzu quote of choice in the comments section.
In case you enjoyed this Sun Tzu article quotes, do share it with your most popular social media sites with your family and friends.
