The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.

Prohibit the taking of omens, and do away with superstitious doubts. Then, until death itself comes, no calamity need be feared.

Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men.

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.

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.

Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge.

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.

The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution.

Quickness is the essence of the war.

Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.

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.

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.

Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack.

Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.

In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good.

There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.

Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack.

Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.