Sun Tzu

"It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is how to love your enemy."

"Convince your enemy that he is already defeated."

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster."

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

"There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare."

"The skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy."

"To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself."

"Thus one may know that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be rich or poor."

"If you wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even if he is sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch."

"A wise general makes a point of enquiring whether the terrain is conducive to an ambuscade, whether it is a deathtrap, a isolated terrain, or a terrain intersected by steep ridges and valleys."

"Treat your men as you would treat your own beloved sons."

"If the enemy leaves a door open, you must rush in."

"The principle on which to manage an army is the same as that on which to manage a few men: divide their numbers."

"Water shapes its course based on the ground over which it flows; the soldier wraps his tactics based on the enemy whom he is facing."

"It is a military principle, if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, divide them."

"To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it."

"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."

"In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact."

"If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by."

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

"All warfare is based on deception."

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

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

"If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

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

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

"The wise adapt themselves to circumstances."

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

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

"Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."