Quotes About Tactics

Be where your enemy is not.

Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.

If his forces are united, separate them.

Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.

The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch'ang mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both.

Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster

the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.

Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.

who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits

Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

Those skilled at making the enemy move do so by creating a situation to which he must conform; they entice him with something he is certain to take, and with lures of ostensible profit they await him in strength.

Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.

Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the enemy.

do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat

Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.

Conceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory;  show your dispositions, and your condition will become patent, which leads to defeat.

You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.

You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.

Whether in an advantageous position or a disadvantageous one, the opposite state should be always present to your mind.

It is the unemotional, reserved, calm, detached warrior who wins, not the hothead seeking vengeance and not the ambitious seeker of fortune.

The Art of War is self-explanatory