Art Of Conflict

The art of war is of vital importance to the state It is a matter of life and death A road either to safety, or to ruin To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without having to fight If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt If you know heaven and you know earth, you may make your victory If you know the enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles If you know yourself, but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle Treat your soldiers as your beloved children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys To defeat your enemy, you must pretend inferiority and encourage your enemies arrogance Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare Speed is the essence of war The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming But on our own readiness to receive our enemy Not on the chance of our enemies not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable The general who advances without seeking fame, and who retreats without fear of disgrace - whose only thought is to protect his country, and do service for his sovereign - is the jewel of his kingdom The victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won; whereas he who is destined for defeat first fights, then afterwards looks for victory Speed is the essence of war Only he who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war can thoroughly understand how to profit from waging war