Qi Jiguang

"Move swift as a wind. Keep calm as a forest. Attack like a fire. Be still as a mountain."

"The defender will be beaten; only the attacker can win."

"Success is determined before the first battle is even fought."

"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."

"When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard."

"Maneuvering with an inferior force against a superior one, in the manner of Sun Tzu, is the priceless gift of a great master."

"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."

"A leader leads by example, not by force."

"The supreme accomplishment is to break the enemy's resistance without a battle."

"Perfection is not just about control. It's also about letting go."

"If the general is weak and without authority, if his orders are not clear and distinct, and if there are no fixed responsibilities assigned to officers, the result is utter disorganization."

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

"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, as often as you can."

"The expert in anything was once a beginner."

"Quickest is not always the right way."

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

"The only good defense is a strong offense."

"Concentrate your strength against your enemy's weakness."

"All men can see the tactics wherein I conform; what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."

"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."

"The soldier's heart becomes the soldier's strength."

"Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained."

"Information is the currency of modern warfare."

"A prudent question is one-half of wisdom."

"Failure is the only opportunity to begin again more intelligently."

"The supreme art of war is to achieve your victory before the war begins."

"Discipline is what separates a warrior from the common man."

"In war, the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won."

"Great achievements require great ambition."

"The beauty of a skilled warrior is the silence of their footsteps."