Sun Tzu

"The way to avoid what you do not desire is to practice what you do desire."

"Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity."

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

"In the world of commerce, a man is known by his deeds, not his desires."

"As wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire, so is the application of force dependent on circumstance."

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

"Resources are not infinite, so success is not infinite."

"The path to victory is paved with preparation."

"In the end, the mighty fortress falls from within."

"When you have outwitted all your enemies, the real enemy is yourself."

"The art of defense is a necessary study, for it makes the master of all arts complete."

"Foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits, nor from deities, nor by analogy with past events. It must be obtained from men who have intelligence of the enemy."

"There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: recklessness, cowardice, folly, indecision, and lack of discipline."

"The supreme art of war is won before the battle begins."

"What the anchorless army fears is not the enemy but internal discord."

"The true warrior understands that victory is determined long before the first strike."

"Excellence in battle is the result of excellence in preparation."

"To win without fighting requires understanding the principles of power."

"In war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military strength."

"A general must be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self-controlled."

"The enemy advances, we retreat. The enemy camps, we harass. The enemy tires, we attack. The enemy retreats, we pursue."

"There is no instance of a country benefitting itself by promoting warfare."

"The expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by the enemy."

"Achieve much and use little; gain much and spend little."

"Perfect discipline is not achieved through severity, but through understanding."

"The true measure of a warrior is not his skill in victory, but his grace in defeat."

"Understand the terrain before you march through it."

"The greatest leaders speak least of themselves."

"In conflict, the superior position is achieved by acting before the moment arrives."

"That the skilled fighter is one who fights in a manner that minimizes casualties."