Sun Tzu

"All warfare is based on deception."

"Know yourself and know your enemy; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated."

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

"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."

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

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

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

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

"Speed is the essence of war."

"When the enemy is at ease, keep him at ease. When desperate, give him a way out."

"To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill."

"If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him."

"Do not engage an enemy more powerful than you. Do not fight unless you will win."

"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak."

"The supreme warrior avoids the battle."

"Discipline is the foundation of victory."

"Foreknowledge cannot be gained from ghosts and spirits, inferred from phenomena, or projected from the measures of Heaven, but must be gained from men who know about the enemy situation."

"He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight."

"The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim."

"Opportunities multiply as they are taken."

"When capable, feign incapacity; when active, inactivity."

"Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Keep your forces at the ready to prevent him from coming in."

"Ponder and deliberate before you make a move."

"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."

"All Men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is produced."

"Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust."

"Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength."

"If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things."

"To know your enemy, you must become your enemy."

"Attack where he is unprepared; sally out when he does not expect you."