Words of Wisdom: Sun Tzu (Part 2)
Sun Tsu was a Chinese military strategist and author of the book, "The Art of War". Here are some of his thoughts:
- The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand
- He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious
- The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself
- 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
- For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards
- He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious
- To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting
- Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win
- Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory
- Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack
- Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move
- The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim
- 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
- The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy
- For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards
- Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack
- The skillful employer of men will employ the wise man, the brave man, the covetous man, and the stupid man
- Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting
- The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution
- Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance
- If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles
- There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited
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Posted by DDFD at 12/9/2009 7:04 AM 
Categories: Self Improvement, Words of Wisdom, Personal Philosophy
Tags: Self Improvement Quotes Sun Tzu Quotes Personal Philosophy
Categories: Self Improvement, Words of Wisdom, Personal Philosophy
Tags: Self Improvement Quotes Sun Tzu Quotes Personal Philosophy
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