Quotes About Planning

There are three avenues of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions. When opportunities occur through events but you are unable to respond, you are not smart. When opportunities become active through a trend and yet you cannot make plans, you are not wise. When opportunities emerge through conditions but you cannot act on them, you are not bold.

Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small. The most difficult things in the world must be done while they are still easy, the greatest things in the world must be done while they are still small. For this reason sages never do what is great, and this is why they can achieve that greatness.

To prevent the enemy from fathoming one's intentions is of the first importance.

it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

while the main laws of strategy can be stated clearly enough for the benefit of all and sundry, you must be guided by the actions of the enemy in attempting to secure a favorable position in actual warfare.

Every battle is won before it is fought.

8.    The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice. [Once war is declared, he will

When you start a fire, be to windward of it. Do not attack from the leeward.

Go forth armed without determining strategy, and you will destroy yourself in battle.

Thus,  what enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is FOREKNOWLEDGE.

Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.

He wins his battles by making no mistakes.

The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand.

By METHOD AND DISCIPLINE are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure. 11.  These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.

Confront your soldiers with the deed itself; never let them know your design. When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy.

Chapter1 Laying Plans

16.  While heading the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules. 17.  According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans.

Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack." It

First, measurement; second, quantity; third, calculation; fourth, comparison; and fifth, victory.

The factors in warfare are: First, measurement; second, quantity; third, calculation; fourth, comparison; and fifth, victory.

Sun Tzu said: We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) Entangling ground;               (3) Temporizing ground;               (4) Narrow passes; (5) Precipitous heights; (6) Positions at a great distance from the enemy.

Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy.

All men can see the individual tactics necessary to conquer, but almost no one can see the strategy out of which total victory is evolved.

More planning shall give greater possibility of victory while less planning, lesser possibility of victory. So how about those without planning?