The Art of War

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

All warfare is based on deception.

Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril.

The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.

Move swift as the Wind, Camouflaged as the Forest, Attack Fire as the Mountain, Unmovable as the Mountain.

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 him.