Quotes About Tactics

If you want peace, understand war.

To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace.

The secret of war lies in the communications.

The aggressive spirit, the offensive, is the chief thing everywhere in war, and the air is no exception.

The spirit of defeating a man is the same for ten million men. The strategist makes small things into big things, like building a great Buddha from a one foot model.

When nonviolence begins halfway through the war with the aggressor calling time out, it exposes itself as a ruse.

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

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

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.

The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage and does not demand it from his men.

Wars are not won by fighting battles; wars are won by choosing battles

The enemy must be annihilated before he reaches our main battlefield. We must stop him in the water, destroying all his equipment while it is still afloat!

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

There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.

In war there is but one favorable moment; the great art is to seize it!

When I have won a victory I do not repeat my tactics but respond to circumstances in an infinite variety of ways.

Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.

The true objective of war is peace.

What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.

In conflict, straightforward actions generally lead to engagement, surprising actions generally lead to victory.

The good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.

Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one.

Don't flail against the world, use it. Flexibility is the operative principle in the art of war.

A little caution outflanks a large cavalry.