the art of war book report

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

The book in three sentences.

Know when to fight and when not to fight: avoid what is strong and strike at what is weak. Know how to deceive the enemy: appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. Know your strengths and weaknesses: if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

The Art of War summary

This is my book summary of The Art of War by Sun Tzu. My notes are informal and often contain quotes from the book as well as my own thoughts. This summary also includes key lessons and important passages from the book.

• “According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one’s plans.”
• “All warfare is based on deception. Hence when able to attack we must seem unable. When using our forces we must seem inactive. When we are near we make the enemy believe we are far away. When far away we must make the enemy believe we are near.”
• “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
• “If he is superior in strength, evade him.”
• “Attack him where he is unprepared. Appear where you are not expected.”
• “The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand.”
• “There is no instance of a country having benefitted from prolonged warfare.”
• “A wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy’s provisions is equivalent to twenty of one’s own.”
• “Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
• “The worst strategy of all is to besiege walled cities.”
• “There are five essentials for victory: He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win who’s army is animated by the same spirit throughout all it’s ranks. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”
• “If you know the enemy and 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.”
• “One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.”
• “In war, the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won.”
• “In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack: the direct and indirect.”
• “An army may march great distances without distress if it marches through country where the enemy is not.”
• “You can be sure in succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.”
• “Military tactics are like water. For water, in its natural course, runs away from high places and hastens downwards. So, in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and strike at what is weak.”
• “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move fall like a thunderbolt.”
• “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.”
• “A clever general, therefore, avoids an army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return.”
• “It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.”
• “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy not coming, but on our readiness to receive him.”
• “Make your way by unexpected routes and attack unguarded spots.”
• “If they will face death, there is nothing they will not achieve.”
• “The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach.”
• “If it is to your advantage, make a forward move. If not, stay where you are.”

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The Art of War

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Summary and Study Guide

The Art of War, written in China during the fifth century BCE by military expert Sun Tzu , has been favored reading among soldiers and strategists for two millennia. Its concise 13 chapters, studied to this day by world leaders and generals from Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong to US Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell, teach victory through studying the opponent, building impregnable defenses, confusing the enemy with diversions, and attacking forcefully its weak spots. The book is recommended reading at leading military academies in the US, Great Britain, and elsewhere.

The principles expounded in The Art of War also apply in other areas of intense competition, such as politics, business, and sports. The book remains especially popular among business leaders, who apply its tenets to their marketplace strategies and tactics . Trial attorneys are known to use the work’s tactics in court.

Widely available in the public domain, The Art of War boasts several English translations. The celebrated 1910 version translated by Lionel Giles, with annotations, appears in a 2016 eBook edition published by Coterie Classics; it forms the basis for this study guide.

The Art of War begins with a warning: War is highly risky and must be considered carefully. Five main factors affect a war’s outcome: the quality of the ruler, weather, terrain, military leadership, and the state of the army. Strategists must take all these factors into account, and they must deceive the enemy about their strengths and weaknesses.

War is costly, and an army shouldn’t depend on its own country to feed it, especially during a long campaign, lest it bankrupt the state. Instead, it should forage on the food of the country it invades, capture weaponry from the enemy and use it against them, and treat kindly any prisoners so that they might be induced to join the invaders.

Instead of engaging in direct fighting, it is best to win by frustrating the enemy’s war plans or at least preventing its armies from massing. Direct fighting is a lesser choice, and an extended siege is the worst option. Wise generals know how to deploy their armies against inferior and superior forces, how to make good use of officers’ personality strengths, and how to inspire the men. Good generals know themselves, the enemy, and the situation.

A well-ordered army arranges itself to be impregnable, yet its true strength cannot be seen. Smart commanders plan carefully, taking into account the weather, terrain, and the disposition of enemy troops; they order an attack only at the best moment, suddenly and with tremendous force.

Attacks may be direct or indirect. Indirect sorties sow confusion or, in their apparent weakness, make the opponent overestimate the odds. While thus occupied, the enemy is surprised by a sudden, powerful, direct assault elsewhere against its forces.

An army should arrive early, make itself impossible to attack, and then rest; when the opponent arrives, it should be kept exhausted and preoccupied. Thereafter, the army must only attack at the enemy’s weakest points. If it faces a huge opposing formation, it should attack at unexpected places, which causes the enemy to split its forces and become disorganized.

Once on the move, an army should avoid lengthy treks, but if it maneuvers well, it can force the enemy to take longer routes that fatigue it. To this end, native informants can help leaders better understand terrain and travel routes. It is better to attack the enemy when they’re tired than to strike in the morning when they’re rested.

Perceptive generals take advantage of changing situations by abandoning plans that no longer work. They also check any tendency on their own part toward impatience, anger, fear, pride, and worry.

An army should move quickly through difficult terrain and camp in a valley with high, flat land areas, arranging things so the enemy has difficult terrain at its rear. The leader should watch and listen for telling signs and sounds from the enemy camp, such as the dust of movement, arguments that signal disorder, and indicators of thirst or hunger.

The general must consider six types of ground terrain: desirable flat land, undesirable difficult regions, areas that offer no advantage, cliffs for overhead assault, passes to blockade, and great distances to be avoided. The other dangerous terrain lies inside the minds of the officers, who must take care to avoid the rocks and pitfalls of over eagerness, weakness, anger, lack of clarity, and lack of planning.

Nine situations can affect an army’s resolve. When stationed in home territory or the land just inside the enemy’s borders, soldiers will be thinking of returning to their families. Some borderlands divide several countries at once; here, the leader can intimidate those states and bring them into alliances. Deep within enemy territory, the invaders will face dire situations that the general can use to inspire bold and energetic fighting.

A daring leader can shoot flaming arrows into an enemy camp and pick off its soldiers as they emerge. Fire can also be used to destroy provisions, weapons, and supply lines. Beyond the use of fire, other innovations may present themselves—redirecting river waters to flood a foe’s camp, for example—and good leaders must avail themselves of these opportunities as they arise.

No army should venture into enemy territory without excellent intelligence gathered from spies and informants. Five types of spies can be used: local, culled from natives; inward, working within the opponent’s government; converted, or captured spies treated well; doomed, who are given false information and then betrayed into the hands of the enemy; and surviving spies, who go deep undercover and return with vital intelligence.

At 9,500 words, The Art of War is short, concise, and filled with useful advice. Most of the book is clear and easy to understand. The work is so pithy that some of its phrases may seem esoteric or enigmatic. Certain paragraphs make reference to historical events largely unknown in the West; others use words in unusual ways that beg to be clarified. Scholars have analyzed the book thoroughly and explained virtually all its passages, especially the ones that might confuse the modern reader. This guide reflects those understandings.

Each short chapter is divided into numbered paragraphs, most of which consist of a single sentence. Quotations from the book are cited by chapter and paragraph number.

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The Art of War

By: History.com Editors

Updated: August 21, 2018 | Original: April 23, 2010

“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. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.” So begins The Art of War, a meditation on the rules of war that was first published in China. Historians don’t know the exact date of the book’s publication (though they believe it to be in the 4th or 5th century); in fact, they don’t even know who wrote it! Scholars have long believed that The Art of War’s author was a Chinese military leader named Sun Tzu, or Sunzi. Today, however, many people think that there was no Sun Tzu: Instead, they argue, the book is a compilation of generations of Chinese theories and teachings on military strategy. Whether or not Sun Tzu was a real person, it’s clear that “he” was very wise: The Art of War still resonates with readers today.

The Mystery of Sun Tzu

For generations, scholars have been trying to figure out who Sun Tzu was–if he existed at all. Legend has it that he was a Chinese military leader in an era known as the Spring and Autumn Period. This was a time of great turmoil in China, as many vassal states vied for power and control of the country’s unpopulated territories. Under these circumstances, Sun Tzu’s skills as a warrior were much in demand.

Did you know? The Art of War became a best-seller in 2001, when television mobster Tony Soprano told his therapist that he’d been reading the book. After that, the book was in such demand that Oxford University Press had to print 25,000 extra copies.

As the story goes, the king of one of the feuding vassal states challenged Sun Tzu to prove his military expertise by turning a harem of royal courtesans into an organized, well-trained fighting force. At first, the courtesans failed to perform their duties; in response, Sun Tzu beheaded two of the king’s favorites in front of everyone. After that, the courtesan armies followed orders perfectly, and the king was so impressed that he put Sun Tzu in charge of his whole military.

Scholars do not know how The Art of War came to be—and whether or not “Sun Tzu,” if he existed, had anything to do with its creation. What they do know is that copies of the book, typically written on sets of sewn-together bamboo slats, ended up in the hands of politicians, military leaders and scholars across China. From there, translated copies of “Sun Tzu’s” work found their way to Korea and Japan. (The oldest Japanese version dates from the 8th century A.D.)

For more than 1,000 years, rulers and scholars across Asia consulted The Art of War as they plotted their military maneuvers and imperial conquests. Japanese samurai, for example, studied it closely. However, it did not reach the Western world until the end of the 18th century, when a Jesuit missionary translated the book into French. (Historians say that the French emperor Napoleon was the first Western leader to follow its teachings.) It was finally translated into English in 1905.

Premises of The Art of War

The Art of War presents the basic principles of warfare and gives military leaders advice on when and how to fight. Its 13 chapters offer specific battle strategies–for example, one tells commanders how to move armies through inhospitable terrain, while another explains how to use and respond to different types of weapons–but they also give more general advice about conflicts and their resolution. Rules like “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight;” “He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces;” “He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks;” “Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men;” and “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril” can be applied to particular battle situations as well as to other kinds of disagreements and challenges.

The Art of War Today

Ever since The Art of War was published, military leaders have been following its advice. In the twentieth century, the Communist leader Mao Zedong said that the lessons he learned from The Art of War helped him defeat Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalist forces during the Chinese Civil War . Other recent devotees of Sun Tzu’s work include Viet Minh commanders Vo Nguyen Giap and Ho Chi Minh and American Gulf War generals Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powell .

Meanwhile, executives and lawyers use the teachings of The Art of War to get the upper hand in negotiations and to win trials. Business-school professors assign the book to their students and sports coaches use it to win games. It has even been the subject of a self-help dating guide. Plainly, this 2,500-year-old book still resonates with a 21st-century audience.

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The Art of War

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According to Master Sun , there are five fundamentals the wartime general must assess: the Way , heaven, earth, command, and discipline. Only by perceiving and understanding the lessons and forms of each, Sun says, can the general emerge victorious in battle. Winning is about taking advantage of opportunity as well as confusing and outwitting the enemy . Though victory depends greatly on preparation, it also comes down to a general’s ability to respond to ever-changing circumstances and make decisions on the spot.

Sun further notes that, because war is a costly and complicated affair that drains the nation’s finances and morale, conflicts should be resolved as soon as possible. To that end, war should be fought only for victory, not out of bloodthirstiness. The general should act proportionately and compassionately, without overreaching or pushing his men too far; there is no sense in pointless killing when an enemy city can be taken whole. In fact, winning without fighting at all is the most desirable outcome.

The general is responsible not only for the army but also the nation’s strength as a whole. The general must know how to lead his troops and make his own decisions. He must know the enemy as well as his own forces. Most of all, a general must strategize well. Just as water crashes down a gorge, so too can the army overwhelm its enemy with a well-considered strategy. And though sheer numbers must be considered when strategizing, proper organization means that having fewer troops is not a problem.

All war, Sun says, is essentially about direct and indirect action—about understanding and working with, rather than against, the flow of the situation and the opportunities arising as the conflict unfolds. Regardless of the men’s ability, if the general reacts appropriately to changing situational dynamics, his men will crush the enemy, like logs rolling down a hill.

Sun further emphasizes the importance of confusing and weakening the enemy. By keeping his own plans a mystery, the general forces the enemy to split his troops to defend many points, as the opposing general does not know where the attack will come from. With enemy troops now thinned out, the general can better concentrate his attack. Forcing the enemy to prepare against an unknown attack thus weakens him. Of course, the general must not allow himself to be cornered in this same way; if the general does not know where the strike will come, his own troops will be thinned out and divided. Therefore, the general must know the enemy’s plan, his motivations, his weaknesses, while still disguising his own.

To be sure, each victory is individual; there is no go-to formula. Victories are won by responding to myriad potential situations, as the world is constantly changing. Thus, just as water flows downhill, an army must always seek the easiest path to victory and attack the enemy’s weakest point.

The fray, Sun continues, isn’t to be entered into lightly. Throwing the army into battle could mean losing both men and equipment, and as such the general must first be sure of the lay of the land. Different terrains determine the method of attack, while mountains, rivers, salt marshes, and level ground all require different strategies to cross. There are roads and armies to avoid altogether, Sun notes. Meanwhile, gongs, drums, banners, flags and torches keep the army orderly and of one mind. The wise general gauges his men’s morale as well as the enemy’s, and only attacks at the opportune time. He remains prudent despite temptations, and doesn’t fall into traps. Recklessness, cowardice, anger, arrogance, and misplaced compassion are all faults in a general, and if an army fails, it is likely the general was guilty of one of these five vices.

Beyond knowing the lay of the land, the general must read the land for signs of the enemy’s movements: if the enemy is not moving, it means he has found advantageous terrain. If, on the other hand, the enemy is baiting the general, then the enemy is leading him into disadvantageous terrain. The general also must watch the enemy’s men to see the true state of his army: are they tired, thirsty, hungry, despondent, disorderly? Is the enemy general changeable, tyrannical, incompetent? Numbers alone do not win a battle—wisdom, understanding, and loyalty do, and the men’s state and ability is the general’s responsibility.

Even so, the general should keep his strategies even from his men, who must trust him implicitly. The general alone is the commander, and so great is his responsibility that he can even ignore the ruler ’s orders when the general—who is closer to the battle arena—knows better.

Turning to more practicalities, Sun notes that seizing something the enemy holds dear will bend him to the general’s will. Speed is also essential in war once decisions have been made, and plunder from the enemy is an efficient means to resupply the troops. Additionally, there are five things to target in a fire attack: men, supplies, equipment, warehouses, and lines of communication. The general must have the materials ready and know the best conditions to use these methods of attack, such as the right season. He must not be hasty but instead remain wise, as calamity cannot be undone. Being cautious can maintain peace.

Wars are expensive and hurt the whole nation, especially common people , so investing in a solid spy network is good financial planning. Spies should also be well-paid to ensure their loyalty. Double agents are a way to finding more spies, and so should be treated especially well. No one is closer to the general than his spies; with their information, he can know his enemy and attack his weakest points. Only the wisest general knows how to use them best.

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The Art Of War Summary

1-Sentence-Summary:   The Art Of War has been considered the definitive text on military strategy and warfare ever since being written in ancient China around 500 BC, inspiring businesses, athletes, and of course generals to beat their opponents and competition the right way until today.

Favorite quote from the author:

Audio Summary

Listen to the audio of this summary with a free reading.fm account:

Here’s a great promotion tip: Whenever you create something, where you draw inspiration from someone else, let them know. For example, I always tweet at the authors of the books I read and write about here, to let them know I wrote something about their work. Sometimes, they share it.

I’m afraid that won’t be possible today because the author of this book died 500 BC. His name is Sun Tzu , and he was a Chinese general, philosopher and military strategist. His book,  The Art Of War , is the most influential strategy text in all of East Asia. It is divided into 13 chapters , each dedicated to a different aspect of warfare.

The reason it’s been so popular all around the world is that most of the lessons can be translated directly to other, competitive fields, like sports or business. In order to make it more actionable, we’ll look at it in a business context.

Here are 3 lessons from Master Sun Tzu :

Only enter battles you know you can win.

• Deceive your competition to make them do what you want.
• Lead your team as if you were leading a single man by the hand.

Are your mental faculties sharpened? Let’s win the battle of business!

If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.

Lesson 1: Only enter battles you know you can win.

Winners know when to fight and when not to fight. Losers always fight and thus often end up losing.

Fools enter battles and then start thinking about how to win. Strategists know how they’re going to win before they even start to battle.

Have you ever thought about the fact that the most skillful fighters often avoid battles and that that’s why they’re never defeated?

Take Bobby Fischer , for instance. The most brilliant chess player of all time instantly retreated, after he won the world championship, not playing again for 20 years.

So if you’re starting a business, look at the industry first. Can you even win against your biggest competitors? And if not, is there a different niche you can fill?

Creating a soda brand to compete with Coca-Cola would certainly be an effort in vain, given that over 1 billion drinks of the brand are consumed every single day .

But maybe you can create a higher-priced, eco-friendly alternative, that targets single mums. That could make a fortune!

Lesson 2: Deceive your competitors to impose your will on them.

Mask strength with weakness, courage with timidity and order with disorder, Sun Tzu says.

A clever army will win not with their bodies, but with their minds .

Making it seem like you’re miles away when you’re close to the enemies base with distractions, or surprise attacking in several places to splinter opposing forces are common tactics in the battlefield.

They’re based on deceit and supposed to make your enemy do what you want them to do .

In business, you can do the same. I’m always baffled to discover insanely profitable and dominating businesses, which, on the front-end, appear like they’re a mom-and-pop store.

Take Appsumo , for example. There’s not much to discover, it seems like a small daily deal site, right?

Here’s the kicker: Appsumo is an 8-figure business. If you have to count, that’s north of $10 million/year. They have over 1 million email subscribers and made $1 million in their first year (2010).

There are endless examples like this one on the web, and this humbleness and modesty are a great way to throw off competitors – even if they might be your default setting, like Noah’s , who’s the founder.

Lesson 3: Lead your team as if you were leading a single man by the hand.

Eventually, your business will need a team. And eventually, that team will have to grow. But as companies get bigger, they get more complex.

Every single human adds an infinite amount of feelings, thoughts and ideas to the business, and all of those have to be managed.

When talking about armies, Sun Tzu says:

“A skilled general leads his army, as if he was leading a single man by the hand.”

Whether you’re managing a big army or a small one, the tools are the same: Break them down into smaller groups and then use clear signals to steer them into the right direction .

In business, that means teams should stay small, 3-4 people are often a good number to cooperate, before things get too complicated.

Then you can set clear signals, like sales targets, tools to use, and a daily morning briefing, to make sure everyone’s on track.

Never forget 1-on-1 interaction with everyone on your team, because if you treat your employees like family, they’ll be just as loyal.

The Art Of War Review

Wow. When I started typing I didn’t know I’d end up here. I have learned a ton about business in the past 50 minutes. Yet, this book is about, well, war.

The Art Of War is absolutely staggering. I thought I’d get a kick out of this, because I’m a big fan of The War Of Art , and just wanted to see where Steven Pressfield came from, regarding the title of his book.

I didn’t expect the advice to be so practical. Brilliant read. I’m not sure the 7 blinks cover all of the 13 chapters, but there are definitely lessons from all of them in there.

Let the blinks inspire you and then take the ideas into an entirely different field. You’ll be surprised how much you learn.

Who would I recommend The Art Of War summary to?

The 21 year old athlete, who wants to go professional in a competitive sport, the 37 year old founder, who just came up with his business plan and is still in the research phase, and anyone who ever had to lead a team, even if it was just in high school.

Last Updated on July 28, 2022

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Niklas Göke is an author and writer whose work has attracted tens of millions of readers to date. He is also the founder and CEO of Four Minute Books, a collection of over 1,000 free book summaries teaching readers 3 valuable lessons in just 4 minutes each. Born and raised in Germany, Nik also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration & Engineering from KIT Karlsruhe and a Master’s Degree in Management & Technology from the Technical University of Munich. He lives in Munich and enjoys a great slice of salami pizza almost as much as reading — or writing — the next book — or book summary, of course!

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The Art of War Summary (and Quotes) by Sun Tzu

July 14, 2020 By

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is a book nominally about, well, war. It’s kind of deceptively titled though. A more accurate title would be “The Art of Not Going to War Unless You Really Can’t Avoid It And Then Still Avoiding Fighting as Much as Possible.” That’s a bit of a mouthful, so probably best to stick the original, but you get the point.

The Art of War applies to competition and conflict in general, on every level from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through understanding the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.

Though it can be abused, war is a helpful metaphor to think about conflict because the stakes for being right are really high. Your company being outcompeted by a competitor stinks, but your country being invaded and decimated and many people dying is like way, way worse so there’s a big incentive to get the strategy right.

The central metaphor of Sun Tzu’s work is water. 

A military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape. The ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius.”

Genius, in Sun Tzu’s explanation, is to behave like water. Water is strong offensively and defensively. If you are standing in the ocean as the waves come at you, punching or pushing at the wave is a strictly futile effort, the water simply redirects around you to the points where you are weak. You can neither strike it offensively nor resist it defensively. It flows away from where you are strong to wherever you are weak.

When the victorious get their people to go to battle as if they were directing a massive flood of water into a deep canyon, this is a matter of formation. When water accumulates in a deep canyon, no one can measure its amount, just as our defense shows no form. When the water is released it rushes down in a torrent, just as our attack is irresistible.”

Water is at once full of power and empty of form, impossible to attack and impossible to resist. That seems pretty powerful.

This metaphor has been echoed by many other strategists. Bruce Lee when talking about his fighting style famously said :

You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend .”

This is a pretty cool thing to think about but it’s not intuitively obvious to me how I would operate differently in my life or business or investments by “becoming like water.”

As I was reading through The Art of War , I thought of the work of John Boyd, another military strategist most famous for his idea of the OODA Loop . OODA is an acronym standing for:

The OODA loop is often seen as a decision making model, but can be more accurately described as a model of individual and organizational learning and adaptation. It is a model for strategy.

Boyd’s primary focus of study for strategy was the German Blitzkrieg.

Before the Second World War, German generals had gone back and studied earlier military strategists and designed the blitzkrieg style to emulate the maneuver warfare styles of Sun Tzu and Genghis Khan rather than the attrition style of World War I.

World War I had been a long, protracted series of trench warfare. It was less like flowing water and more like banging stones. The Blitzkrieg strategy employed by the Germans was much more fluid.

There were three central concepts to the Blitzkrieg that Boyd studied: Schwerpunkt, Einheit and Fingerspitzengefühl.

Schwerpunkt literally translates as center of gravity or emphasis,

In military terms, it is usually the geographic point of attack.

In non-military terms, it  is probably best understood as focus or the main priority. Having a clear focus, and emphasizing that over any particular tactic, empowers those around you to make decisions for themselves instead of having to run everything by you. 

Famously, Facebook kept the number of users on huge TV screens around their office for many years. Everyone knew that when they were faced with a decision, they should make whatever decision caused that number to go up.

Einheit translates to something like “mutual trust.”

The German Blitzkrieg commander Heinz Gaedcke explained that one of the essential reasons for the success of the Blitzkrieg was that the German commanders all trusted each other implicitly. They had a relationship where they could look at each other in the eye and know exactly what needed to be done without speaking.

Fingerspitzengefuhl translates literally as a fingertip feeling, but is most easily understood as intuitive skill or intuitive knowledge.

A good military commander that has trained well can pattern match in real time which looks to others like an intuitive feeling for how to manage the battle. The German tank commanders could see where the enemy was weak and know to focus their efforts there. Similarly, good business leaders are able to draw on their experience to know where to focus their effort and resources.

If you have all three of these together, it looks like very much like flowing like water. During the German blitzkrieg (which reached Paris in an astoundingly short time), you had all these factors operating together.

Your commanders have fingerspitzengefuhl, a fingertip feeling, which allows them to sense where a weak point is in the enemy lines pops up. This weak point becomes the schwerpunkt, or center of focus for the German troops. Other troops quickly flow to this weak point because they trust their fellow soldiers (einheit). This lets them break through the enemy lines, forcing the enemy to retreat and regroup.

If you were to look at how these troop movements behaved from a top-down view, it would look a lot like flowing water. Little droplets (small groups of troops) probe each point of the enemy’s lines. When they start to sense a weak point and a small breakthrough happens, water (troops) from elsewhere flow downhill towards the weak point. This causes it to weaken further. Eventually, they fully breakthrough and the rest of the troops flow through the wide hold in the enemy’s lines.

Then the enemy retreats to try and form a new line and the same process repeats. Little probes eventually find a weak point and the rest of the forces flow through. The troops are flowing like water, moving through the enemy lines at the point of least resistance. 

From the enemy’s perspective, it is like trying to fight with the ocean. Wherever they strike, you fade away, flowing towards the point of least resistance.

Sun Tzu talks about this in terms of emptiness and fullness. Where they strike, you are empty. But, where you strike, there is fullness that “punches” through.

The outcome of this flowing like water is momentum. When you flow like water, you are going where the momentum takes you and so you have the momentum behind you. Having spent a decade advising and working with hundreds of companies across many different industries, I would say there is basically nothing more important to a company’s success than momentum.

When an army has the force of momentum, even the timid become brave; when it loses the force of momentum, even the brave become timid. 

When a company has momentum, it seems like everyone is good at their job. Getting in a habit of winning consistently and following momentum is incredibly valuable. One way to lose momentum is to try and do too much. Often projects get scoped too big and drag on for too long, losing momentum.

When you do battle, even if you are winning, if you continue for a long time it will dull your forces and blunt your edge; if you besiege a citadel, your strength will be exhausted. If you keep your armies out in the field for a long time, your supplies will be insufficient.

Good managers and companies don’t let projects drag on. They seize momentum and ship quickly .

Good companies also cut their losses quickly. If you start an initiative and it doesn’t get momentum fast, get rid of it. 

When your forces are dulled, your edge is blunted, your strength is exhausted, and your supplies are gone, then others will take advantage of your debility and rise up. Then even if you have wise advisers you cannot make things turn out well in the end.

Therefore I have heard of military operations that were clumsy but swift, but I have never seen one that was skillful and lasted a long time.

Speed and momentum are the killer forces in all competitive environments and the notion to “become like water” is about how to get those on your side.

In his 2016 letter to shareholders , Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos gave similar advice:

Most decisions should probably be made with somewhere around 70% of the information you wish you had. If you wait for 90%, in most cases, you’re probably being slow.Plus, either way, you need to be good at quickly recognizing and correcting bad decisions. If you’re good at course correcting, being wrong may be less costly than you think, whereas being slow is going to be expensive for sure.”

In Sun Tzu’s terms, seizing the momentum is more important than being right. If you are wrong, you simply stop that direction and flow towards wherever the weakness is. Water doesn’t know the exact path it will take, it just worries about flowing downhill.

Boyd also focused on the idea of momentum,  Getting inside your adversary’s OODA loop is done by executing what he called “fast transients,” WTF moments designed to make your adversary feel trapped in an unpredictable world of doubt, mistrust, confusion, disorder, fear, panic, and chaos.

The “transient” is the change between maneuvers. The ideal fast transient is an abrupt, unexpected, disorienting change that causes the other side to say “What the f**k!”

Boyd was a renowned dogfighter because he would create disorienting, WTF moments by engaging in an unexpected maneuver and by the time the other pilot was able to re-orient, it was too late.

Similarly, good leaders seize momentum. When they see an unexpected source of momentum, they don’t think “that’s not in the plan,” they think “this is the new plan.” 

One of the most useful questions I ask myself as part of my weekly review is “What were the 3 biggest wins or unexpected sources of momentum and how can I double down on them.” This is basically the idea of flowing to the point of least resistance, being like water.

I think businesses can copy this idea of being like water by employing Boyd’s ideas of schwerpunkt, fingerspitzengefuhl, and einheit.

Indeed, these are the core jobs of a good leader. The leader looks for the most important focus for the company (schwerpunkt) using their intuitive feeling for the market (fingerspitzengefuhl) and then build a culture of mutual trust (einheit) that enables everyone to work in sync.

The leader also knows when to defer to the fingerspitzengefuhl of their team and let them be the ones that run with something when they have a better fingertip feeling rather than trying to micromanage.

Sun Tzus message is clear: Become like water my friend.

My Art of War Highlights and Notes

(*CAO CAO, MENG SHI, MEI YAOCHEN, WANG XI, LI QUAN, MEI YAOCHEN, MASTER SUN, ZHANG YU, DU MU are all names of commentators adding their own interpretation of the book.)

The physician, whose reputation was such that his name became synonymous with medical science in China, replied, “My eldest brother sees the spirit of sickness and removes it before it takes shape, so his name does not get out of the house.” “My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremely minute, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood.” “As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe potions, and massage skin, so from time to time my name gets out and is heard among the lords. Note: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but an ounce of cure is more marketable than a pound of cure.

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.

The master warrior is likewise the one who knows the psychology and mechanics of conflict so intimately that every move of an opponent is seen through at once, and one who is able to act in precise accord with situations, riding on their natural patterns with a minimum of effort. Note: Calculus of Grit . Should feel easy to you but look hard for them.

The Art of War pinpoints anger and greed as fundamental causes of defeat. According to Sun Tzu, it is the unemotional, reserved, calm, detached warrior who wins, not the hothead seeking vengeance and not the ambitious seeker of fortune. The Tao-te Ching says: “Those who are good at knighthood are not militaristic, those who are good at battle do not become angry, those who are good at prevailing over opponents do not get involved.” Note: Like BJJ, you take what the opponent gives you.

Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent’s fate.”

This is a matter of emptiness and fullness. When there are rifts between superiors and subordinates, when generals and officers are disaffected with each other, and dissatisfaction has built up in the minds of the troops, this is called emptiness. When the civilian leadership is intelligent and the military leadership is good, when superiors and subordinates are of like mind, and will and energy operate together, this is called fullness. Note: Einheit. This is like Dalio’s idea of being in sync. Very important to keep everyone in sync with communication protocols.

When welfare and justice embrace the whole people, when public works are sufficient to meet national emergencies, when the policy of selection for office is satisfactory to the intelligent, when planning is sufficient to know strengths and weaknesses, that is the basis of certain victory. Note: Both Boyd and Sun Tzu focus on System Dynamics. It’s not reductionist, it is about how everything operates together .

In Taoist thought, power was moral as well as material, and it was believed that moral power manifested itself both as self-mastery and as influence over others. To explain the strength of a national defense force, Zhuge writes: This in turn depends on the generals entrusted with military leadership. A general that is not popular is not a help to the nation, not a leader of the army. Note: The most important battlefield is that of public opinion .

Zhuge emphasizes the advantages of unexpectedness and speed, capable of reversing otherwise insurmountable odds: Planning should be secret, attack should be swift. When an army takes its objective like a hawk striking its prey, and battles like a river broken through a dam, its opponents will scatter before the army tires. This is the use of the momentum of an army. Note: Blitzkrieg. Momentum is such a critical component to success.

The simultaneous appreciation of very different points of view is a powerful Taoist technique, whose understanding can resolve contradiction and paradox. The model of the paradox of The Art of War can be seen in the Tao-te Ching, where both ruthlessness and kindness are part of the Way of the sage. “Heaven and earth are not humanistic—they regard myriad beings as straw dogs; sages are not humanistic—they regard people as straw dogs,” wrote the philosopher of the Tao-te Ching. A horrified Western Sinologist working in the 1950s, shortly after the truce in Korea, wrote that this passage had “unleashed a monster,” but to a Taoist this statement does not represent inhumanity but an exercise in objectivity, similar to Buddhist exercises in impersonality. Note: Taoism and Sun Tzu emphasize nebulosity. Same as other religious texts. But they are interpreted as eternalisms.

Certain Taoists regard the Tao-te Ching to be a transmission of ancient lore compiled and elaborated by its “author,” rather than a completely original work, and the same may very well be true of The Art of War. Note: the best content is just summarizing and refining .

The Art of War brings up five things that are to be assessed before undertaking any action: the Way, the weather, the terrain, the military leadership, and discipline.

In this context, the Way (Tao) has to do with civil leadership, or rather the relationship between political leadership and the populace. In both Taoist and Confucian parlance, a righteous government is described as “imbued with the Tao,” and Sun Tzu the martialist similarly speaks of the Way as “inducing the people to have the same aim as the leadership.” Note: Like Boyd, focused on the moral aspect. You have to actually win hearts and minds.

The opening statement of The Art of War introduces the three main facets of the warrior’s art: the social, the psychological, and the physical. Note: In a business context, marketing’s the social and psychological and it builds up the physical which is product related, but it can shape the battlefield/marketplace. Musk is good at this.

Considerable attention is devoted to the importance of conservation of energy and material resources. Note: Run lean .

When victory is won, Sun stresses that it should be complete, to avoid the expense of maintaining an occupation force. Note: It’s kind of a systems thinker guide to war. Most people just think about battles or campaigns but there are all these forces around that which influence the outcome and by mastering those, the leader becomes more effective.

The topic of the fifth chapter of The Art of War is force, or momentum, the dynamic structure of a group in action. Here Master Sun emphasizes organizational skills, coordination, and the use of both orthodox and guerrilla methods of war. He stresses change and surprise, employing endless variations of tactics, using opponents’ psychological conditions to maneuver them into vulnerable positions. Note: Very OODA , emphasizing constantly changing to what the conditions are giving you.

The essence of Sun Tzu’s teaching on force is unity and coherence in an organization, using the force of momentum rather than relying on individual qualities and talents: “Good warriors seek effectiveness in battle from the force of momentum, not from individual people.” Note: Momentum is so important. Like schwerpunkt, einheit and fingerspitz – together those let you get and keep momentum, you flow into the enemies weak points as anyone can detect them with fingerspitz and then they trust each other with einheit.

Conserving one’s own energy while inducing others to dissipate theirs is another function of the inscrutability so highly prized by the Taoist warrior: “The consummation of forming an army is to arrive at formlessness,” says Master Sun, for then no one can formulate a strategy against you. At the same time, he says, induce opponents to construct their own formations, get them to spread themselves thin; test opponents to gauge their resources and reactions but remain unknown yourself. In this case, formlessness and fluidity are not merely means of defense and surprise, but means of preserving dynamic potential, energy that could easily be lost by trying to hold on to a specific position or formation. Master Sun likens a successful force to water, which has no constant form but, as the Tao-te Ching notes, prevails over everything in spite of its apparent weakness: Sun says, “A military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape. The ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius.” Note: Kind of like Calculus of Grit . The organization should flow towards whatever the market get Ives it. Effectuation – given what we have, what are the best opportunities in the market. It is the opposite of high modernism.

Be prepared, and you will be lucky.”

Yinyang principles on which they are based, that of reversion from one to the other at the extremes. Note: Yin and yang are about how extremes revert to each other. The far left and far right blend together .

Do not stop an army on its way home. A surrounded army must be given a way out. Do not press a desperate enemy.”

The I Ching says, “The sovereign uses three chasers, letting the game ahead escape,” and “if you are too adamant, action is unlucky, even if you are right.” Note: Give the enemy a way out so they do not feel that they have to fight. Give your competitors somewhere to pivot so they don’t have to compete directly.

Persist too intensely at what is currently beyond your depth, and your fidelity to that course will bring misfortune, no gain.”

Note: Always move just one step away, enlarge your circle of competence but slowly.

Although Master Sun never dismisses the weight of sheer numbers or material might, here as elsewhere there is the strong suggestion that social and psychological factors can overcome the sort of power that can be physically quantified: “In military matters it is not necessarily beneficial to have more, only to avoid acting aggressively; it is enough to consolidate your power, assess opponents, and win people, that is all.”

A government should not mobilize an army out of anger, military leaders should not provoke war out of wrath. Act when it is beneficial to do so, desist if not. Anger can revert to joy, wrath can revert to delight, but a nation destroyed cannot be restored to existence, and the dead cannot be restored to life.”

Note: Don’t compete out of jealousy or anger, do so when advantageous .

The Art of War was evidently written during the so-called Warring States period of ancient China, which lasted from the fifth to the third century B.C.E. Note: Contemporary with the fall of Greece .

Master Sun has his readers dwell on the ravages of war, from its incipient phases of treachery and alienation to its extreme forms of incendiary attack and siege, viewed as a sort of mass cannibalism of human and natural resources. With this device, he gives the reader an enhanced feeling for the significance of individual and social virtues espoused by the humanitarian pacifists. From this point of view, it is natural to think of the Taoist thread in The Art of War not as a random cultural element, but as key to understanding the text at all of its levels. By the nature of its overt subject matter, The Art of War commanded the attention of people who were less likely to pay serious mind to the pacifistic teachings of the classical humanists. Note: Appealing to warriors with a title but advocating for war as last result. Sell them what they want and give them what they need.

The five things are the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and discipline. Note: The way is culture, the weather and terrain are market forces, leadership is the same and discipline is operations. The better culture in the better market with better leadership and ops will win.

The Way means inducing the people to have the same aim as the leadership, so that they will share death and share life, without fear of danger. Note: schwerpunkt and einheit .

Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and sternness.

Reliance on intelligence alone results in rebelliousness. Exercise of humaneness alone results in weakness. Fixation on trust results in folly. Dependence on the strength of courage results in violence. Excessive sternness of command results in cruelty. When one has all five virtues together, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a military leader.

Discipline means organization, chain of command, and logistics. Note: Ops is so important .

Structure depends on strategy; strategy is determined according to events.

When they are fulfilled, be prepared against them; when they are strong, avoid them. DU MU – If the enemy’s government is fulfilled—meaning that there is mutual love between the rulers and the ruled, there is clarity and trustworthiness in the system of rewards and punishments, and the soldiers are well trained—then you should be on guard against them. Do not wait for a clash to make your preparations. When the enemy’s military is strong, you should avoid them for the time being, waiting until they slack off, watching for an opening to attack. Note: Take what they give you .

Use anger to throw them into disarray. Note: Get inside their OODA loop, let them get angry and overconfident.

Use humility to make them haughty. Note: To your competitors, you want to be humble. To your customers, confident .

Tire them by flight. Note: Don’t engage directly, come from the side .

Cause division among them.

The one who figures on victory at headquarters before even doing battle is the one who has the most strategic factors on his side. Note: When you have a big asymmetric payoff like a battle or war, you want to be six sigma prepared .

When you do battle, even if you are winning, if you continue for a long time it will dull your forces and blunt your edge; if you besiege a citadel, your strength will be exhausted. If you keep your armies out in the field for a long time, your supplies will be insufficient. Note: Guerilla forces understand this. They force the occupiers to engage for too long. Don’t let projects drag on. Seize momentum. Ship quickly.

When your forces are dulled, your edge is blunted, your strength is exhausted, and your supplies are gone, then others will take advantage of your debility and rise up. Then even if you have wise advisers you cannot make things turn out well in the end. Note: Cut your losses quickly. If you start an initiative and it doesn’t get momentum fast, get rid of it .

Therefore I have heard of military operations that were clumsy but swift, but I have never seen one that was skillful and lasted a long time. Note: Speed kills. Speed and momentum seem like big themes.

Those who use the military skillfully do not raise troops twice and do not provide food three times. Note: Raise money and morale and win quickly. Else do not go. Lack of momentum drags everything down.

When a country is impoverished by military operations, it is because of transporting supplies to a distant place. Transport supplies to a distant place and the populace will be impoverished. Note: Stay near your circle of competence. If you overextend, you will lose .

Therefore a wise general strives to feed off the enemy. Each pound of food taken from the enemy is equivalent to twenty pounds you provide by yourself. CAO CAO – Transportation of provisions itself consumes twenty times the amount transported. Note: What is biz equivalent? Drafting off their marketing?

Where there are big rewards there are valiant men. Note: Show how everyone will benefit and make money .

Change their colors, use them mixed in with your own. Treat the soldiers well, take care of them. CAO CAO – You change their colors to make them the same as your own, you use them mixed in with your own so as not to leave them to their own devices. Note: Poach from your competitors but mix them in with your team so as not to have a faction.

The important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence. CAO CAO – Persistence is not profitable. An army is like fire—if you don’t put it out, it will burn itself out. MENG SHI – What is best is a quick victory and a speedy return. MEI YAOCHEN – In all of the above-mentioned, it is important to be quick. If you are quick, then you can economize on expenditures and allow the people to rest. Note: Speed and quick wins is a major theme here.

The general rule for use of the military is that it is better to keep a nation intact than to destroy it. It is better to keep an army intact than to destroy it, better to keep a division intact than to destroy it, better to keep a battalion intact than to destroy it, better to keep a unit intact than to destroy it. CAO CAO – If you raise an army and penetrate deeply into your opponent’s territory, keeping on the move, blocking the space between the inner stronghold and the outer city walls, cutting off communications between inside and outside, then if the opponent surrenders completely, that is best. If you attack destructively and take a nation by force, that is a lesser accomplishment. Note: Very OODA, moral and psychological fronts are the most important .

If you make it clear what is to be rewarded and what punished, make your directives reliable, keep your machines in good repair, train and exercise your officers and troops, and let their strengths be known so as to overcome the opponent psychologically, this is considered very good. Note: If you are fully prepared and show strength then no one will want to fight. That is the best victory. Make it seem like you are destined to win.

Therefore one who is good at martial arts overcomes others’ forces without battle, conquers others’ cities without siege, destroys others’ nations without taking a long time.

If you are equal, then fight if you are able. If you are fewer, then keep away if you are able. If you are not as good, then flee if you are able. CAO CAO – If your forces are equal to those of the enemy, even if you are good you should still set up ambushes and surprise attacks to prevail over them. Otherwise, be defensive and do not engage in battle, or if outmatched, take your soldiers and run away. Note: Never let pride or anger cause you to fight a superior force. Always operate from strength or hide your time until you become strong.

So there are three ways in which a civil leadership causes the military trouble. When a civil leadership unaware of the facts tells its armies to advance when it should not or tells its armies to retreat when it should not, this is called tying up the armies. When the civil leadership is ignorant of military affairs but shares equally in the government of the armies, the soldiers get confused. When the civil leadership is ignorant of military maneuvers but shares equally in the command of the armies, the soldiers hesitate. Once the armies are confused and hesitant, trouble comes from competitors. This is called taking away victory by deranging the military. WANG XI – To get rid of these problems, it is necessary to delegate unbridled authority, so it is imperative that officers who are to be generals be both loyal and talented. Note: There is a big advantage to being centralized and acting fast so you need to delegate authority and let people make decisions. Wartime CEOs have to be all powerful to make the company survive .

So there are five ways of knowing who will win. Those who know when to fight and when not to fight are victorious. Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious. Those who face the unprepared with preparation are victorious. Those whose generals are able and are not constrained by their governments are victorious. These five are the ways to know who will win. Note: Be careful about what fights you engage in. Don’t use too many or too few resources. Have a cohesive culture, schwerpunkt and inherit. Prepare adequately. Delegate decision making and don’t run democratically .

JIA LIN – The movements of the armies must adapt to the situation on the spot—nothing causes more trouble than trying to run them from behind the lines. Note: Delegate authority down the chain .

If you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.

Invincibility is a matter of defense, vulnerability is a matter of attack. CAO CAO – For an invincible defense, conceal your form. When opponents attack you, then they are vulnerable. Note: Very BJJ, you let them act first and take whatever they give you .

Those skilled in defense hide in the deepest depths of the earth, those skilled in attack maneuver in the highest heights of the sky. Therefore they can preserve themselves and achieve complete victory.

Defense here means lying low when you do not see any effective way to attack, sinking into stillness and recondite silence, not letting opponents find you out. Attack is for when you see an advantage to aim for. On the attack you should be extremely swift, taking advantage of unexpectedness, wary of letting opponents find you out and prepare against you. Note: Most of the time, you are low key looking for opportunities and probing. Then when you see the weak point, you go full force, like water flowing.

Everyone says victory in battle is good, but if you see the subtle and notice the hidden so as to seize victory where there is no form, this is really good. Note: One of the themes is really taking time to think through things, see what the enemy and market and terrain is giving you .

The victories of good warriors are not noted for cleverness or bravery. Therefore their victories in battle are not flukes. Their victories are not flukes because they position themselves where they will surely win, prevailing over those who have already lost. Note: A lot of this is about risk reduction and ergodicity. Take what is given to you and live to fight another day. The first rule of war is to survive .

Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory. CAO CAO – This is the difference between those with strategy and those without forethought. Note: Only engage if you know you can win .

The rules of the military are five: measurement, assessment, calculation, comparison, and victory. The ground gives rise to measurements, measurements give rise to assessments, assessments give rise to calculations, calculations give rise to comparisons, comparisons give rise to victories. Note: Basically OODA. You win in the orientation phase .

When the victorious get their people to go to battle as if they were directing a massive flood of water into a deep canyon, this is a matter of formation. DU MU – When water accumulates in a deep canyon, no one can measure its amount, just as our defense shows no form. When the water is released it rushes down in a torrent, just as our attack is irresistible. Note: The water metaphor feels so apropos here. Like water seeping into the Earth’s crust. Though it looks solid, by seeking out the holes and nooks and crannies, the water descends.

When the speed of rushing water reaches the point where it can move boulders, this is the force of momentum. When the speed of a hawk is such that it can strike and kill, this is precision. So it is with skillful warriors—their force is swift, their precision is close. Their force is like drawing a catapult, their precision is like releasing the trigger. Note: Speed and precision are the factors he emphasizes. The water metaphor throughout is interesting .

When an army has the force of momentum, even the timid become brave; when it loses the force of momentum, even the brave become timid.

Getting people to fight by letting the force of momentum work is like rolling logs and rocks. Logs and rocks are still when in a secure place, but roll on an incline; they remain stationary if square, they roll if round. Therefore, when people are skillfully led into battle, the momentum is like that of round rocks rolling down a high mountain—this is force. DU MU – Roll rocks down a ten-thousand-foot mountain, and they cannot be stopped—this is because of the mountain, not the rocks. Get people to fight with the courage to win every time, and the strong and the weak unite—this is because of the momentum, not the individuals. Note: If you have a company with momentum and hire people then they will do good. It brings out the best in people .

Those who are first on the battlefield and await the opponents are at ease; those who are last on the battlefield and head into battle get worn out.

Therefore good warriors cause others to come to them and do not go to others. Note: You want to have confidence and pick a strong position to fight from .

If you make opponents come to fight, then their force will always be empty. If you do not go to fight, then your force will always be full.

So when opponents are at ease, it is possible to tire them. When they are well fed, it is possible to starve them. When they are at rest, it is possible to move them. CAO CAO – You cause them trouble with some affair, you cut off their supply routes to starve them, you attack what they like and appear where they will go, thus causing opponents to have to go to the rescue. Note: Guerilla warfare, you don’t attack directly, you gnaw at the sides. Biz equivalent is disruptive innovation? Starting with something that seems small and unimportant that they have to deal with like smaller microchips .

To advance irresistibly, push through their gaps. To retreat elusively, outspeed them. Note: Blitzkrieg. Use the four forces to flow like water through their lines .

When you are on your home ground and are well supplied compared to the number of soldiers you have, while opponents are on alien territory and have little food compared to their number, then it is to your advantage not to fight. If you want to be sure opponents will not dare come to do battle with you even though you are not heavily fortified, let them see a setup that confuses them and deflects their course. For example, when Sima Yi was going to attack Zhuge Liang, Zhuge took down his flags and put away his battle drums, opened the gates, and swept the road. Yi suspected an ambush, so he withdrew his forces and fled. Note: Jujitsu. Make it feel like a trap .

When you are concentrated into one while the opponent is divided into ten, you are attacking at a concentration of ten to one, so you outnumber the opponent. Note: Focus. Schwerpunkt. Concentrate your energies.

Your battleground is not to be known, for when it cannot be known, the enemy makes many guard outposts, and since multiple outposts are established, you only have to do battle with small squads. CAO CAO – When your form is concealed, the enemy is in doubt, and so divides up his company to be on guard against you. This means that enemy groups are small and easy to hit. Note: Don’t let your enemies know where to attack you or where you are focusing. Give the appearance of doing many things while only focusing on one internally.

So when the front is prepared, the rear is lacking, and when the rear is prepared the front is lacking. Preparedness on the left means lack on the right, preparedness on the right means lack on the left. Preparedness everywhere means lack everywhere.

DU YOU – This means that when troops are on guard in many places, they are perforce scattered into small bands. Note: Companies get scattered and work on too many things at once and that makes them weak. Focus.

Therefore victory in war is not repetitious but adapts its form endlessly. Note: Non-ergodic . Like markets, warfare is made up of people adapting, you must constantly change as the environment changes.

Military formation is like water—the form of water is to avoid the high and go to the low, the form of a military force is to avoid the full and attack the empty; the flow of water is determined by the earth, the victory of a military force is determined by the opponent. LI QUAN – How can you ensure victory if not on the basis of the enemy’s own posture? A light brigade cannot hold out long, so if you keep it under siege it will inevitably lose; a heavy brigade will unfailingly respond to a provocation and expose itself. If the opposing army is angry, shame it; if the army is strong, get it to relax. If the opposing general is proud, humiliate him; if the general is greedy, bait him; if the general is suspicious, spy on him right back—therefore the manner of victory is determined according to the enemy. Note: Like BJJ, you have to go where they let you, take what is open, flow like water to the opportunity and arrive there with great momentum .

A military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape: the ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius. Note: An investment strategy has no constant makeup, it must adapt. War and markets are similar in that they are people competing against others so they are fundamentally about human psychology. They are different in that war is zero-sum and markets are not .

Struggling for an advantage fifty miles away will thwart the forward leadership, and as a rule, only fifty percent of the soldiers make it. Struggle for an advantage thirty miles away, and two out of three get there. So an army perishes if it has no equipment, it perishes if it has no food, and it perishes if it has no money. Note: Play on your home ground where you have an advantage and make sure you have adequate resources. You are best off fighting smaller forces and consolidating over time to take on bigger ones. Strive for ergodicity , more important to avoid losses than to get gains .

Cymbals, drums, banners, and flags are used to focus and unify people’s ears and eyes. Once people are unified, the brave cannot proceed alone, the timid cannot retreat alone—this is the rule for employing a group.

Therefore the rule for military operations is that if you can stir up the soldiers of all ranks with a common anger, then no one can stand up to them. Therefore, when opponents first come and their energy is keen, you break this down by not fighting with them for the time being. Watch for when they slump into boredom, then strike, and their keen energy can be taken away. Note: It is more about the mental and emotional state of the army than the physical. Like markets, buy when they are slow .

Using order to deal with the disorderly, using calm to deal with the clamorous, is mastering the heart. DU MU – Once your basic mind is settled, you should just tune and order it, making it calm and stable, undisturbed by events, not deluded by prospects of gain. Watch for disorder and clamor among the enemy ranks, then attack. Note: When you are leading then your mental state matters a lot so you need to keep things in a good place. Meditation, good routine, etc .

Do not stop an army on its way home. LI QUAN – When soldiers want to go home, their will cannot be thwarted. MEI YAOCHEN – Under these circumstances, an opponent will fight to the death. MASTER SUN – A surrounded army must be given a way out. CAO CAO – The ancient rule of the charioteers says, “Surround them on three sides, leaving one side open, to show them a way to live.” Note: Always give competitors a way out or they will fight harder and may win .

If you can change with the momentum of forces, then the advantage does not change, so the only ones who get hurt are others. Therefore there is no constant structure. If you can fully comprehend this principle, you can get people to work. Note: Not too tight, not too loose. You must know when to press and when to pull back. For every time, there is a season .

Therefore there are five traits that are dangerous in generals: Those who are ready to die can be killed; those who are intent on living can be captured; those who are quick to anger can be shamed; those who are puritanical can be disgraced; those who love people can be troubled. CAO CAO – Those who are brave but thoughtless and insist on fighting to the death cannot be made to yield, but they can be struck by ambush. Note: Every general has a weakness, you must discover and exploit it while recognizing your own.

Good generals are otherwise: they are not committed to death yet do not expect to live; they act in accord with events, not quick to anger, not subject to embarrassment. When they see possibility, they are like tigers, otherwise, they shut their doors. Their action and inaction are matters of strategy, and they cannot be pleased or angered. Note: For everything, there is a season. There is a time to be long vol and a time to be short vol. Avoid ideology. Fingerspitzengefuhl – you must know when the time is right.

Fight going down, not climbing up.”

Note: Engage when you have the momentum .

Those whose words are humble while they increase war preparations are going to advance. Those whose words are strong and who advance aggressively are going to retreat. CAO CAO –  If his emissaries come with humble words, send spies to observe him and you will find that the enemy is increasing his preparations. ZHANG YU – When emissaries come with strong words, and their army also moves ahead, they want to threaten you, seeking to retreat. Note: People posture in inverse to their position. Being calm means you seem like you are operating from a position of strength .

JIA LIN –  A large group striking a small group is not held in high esteem; what is held in high esteem is when a small group can strike a large group. Note: There is a moral component too. It can be good to be the underdog because it causes others to come to your aid and the enemy to not fight as hard .

If soldiers are punished before a personal attachment to the leadership is formed, they will not submit, and if they do not submit they are hard to employ. WANG XI – If feelings of appreciation and trust are not established in people’s minds from the beginning, they will not form this bond. MASTER SUN – If punishments are not executed after personal attachment has been established with the soldiers, then they cannot be employed. ZHANG YU – When there are underlying feelings of appreciation and trust, and the hearts of the soldiers are already bonded to the leadership if punishments are relaxed the soldiers will become haughty and impossible to employ. MASTER SUN – Therefore directs them through cultural arts, unify them through martial arts; this means certain victory. CAO CAO – Cultural art means humaneness, martial art means law. Note: Not too tight, not too loose. Kind of radical candor. You wNt to be their friend but you also need to push them .

One advances without seeking glory, retreats without avoiding blame, only protecting people, to the benefit of the government as well, thus rendering valuable service to the nation. Note: Leave military matters to military people. Make the best decision for the company at large not what the board tells you .

Look upon your soldiers as beloved children, and they willingly die with you. LI QUAN – If you treat them well, you will get their utmost power.

If you are so nice to them that you cannot employ them, so kind to them that you cannot command them, so casual with them that you cannot establish order, they are like spoiled children, useless. Note: He uses this children analogy a lot. You want to be radically candid with your kids too .

According to the rule for military operations, there are nine kinds of ground. Note: Maybe terrain is market conditions?

The condition of a military force is that its essential factor is speed, taking advantage of others’ failure to catch up, going by routes they do not expect, attacking where they are not on guard. Note: All about speed .

So a skillful military operation should be like a swift snake that counters with its tail when someone strikes at its head, counters with its head when someone strikes at its tail, and counters with both head and tail when someone strikes at its middle. ZHANG YU – This represents the method of a battle line, responding swiftly when struck. A manual of eight classical battle formations says, “Make the back the front, make the front the back, with four heads and eight tails. Make the head anywhere, and when the enemy lunges into the middle, head, and tail both come to the rescue.” Note: Like water, you take whatever they give you. Flow with the path of least resistance.

Therefore those skilled in military operations achieve cooperation in a group so that directing the group is like directing a single individual with no other choice. Note: Einheit

The business of the general is quiet and secret, fair and orderly.

He can keep the soldiers unaware, make them ignorant. Note: You don’t reveal your strategy to employees. You paint a vision of victory but strategy and tactics stay with the executives .

When a leader establishes a goal with the troops, he is like one who climbs up to a high place and then tosses away the ladder. When a leader enters deeply into enemy territory with the troops, he brings out their potential. He has them burn the boats and destroy the pots, drives them like sheep, none knowing where they are going.

Employ the entire armed forces like employing a single person. Employ them with actual tasks, do not talk to them. Motivate them with benefits, do not tell them about harm. MEI YAOCHEN – Just employ them to fight, don’t tell them your strategy. Let them know what benefit there is in it for them, don’t tell them about the potential harm. Note: Explain a clear goal, schwerpunkt. Give them tasks to get there. Be clear about the benefits of victory.

A major military operation is a severe drain on the nation and may be kept up for years in the struggle for one day’s victory. So to fail to know the conditions of opponents because of reluctance to give rewards for intelligence is extremely inhumane, uncharacteristic of a true military leader, uncharacteristic of an assistant of the government, uncharacteristic of a victorious chief. So what enables an intelligent government and a wise military leadership to overcome others and achieve extraordinary accomplishments is foreknowledge. Note: If you know more about the opponent, they are easy to outcompete. Knowledge is valuable and worth paying for.

Last Updated on July 15, 2020 by Taylor

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• The Art Of War Summary

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by Polly Barbour

The book is divided into twelve smaller books, each dealing with an important aspect of war, from the thinking about waging war, to the actual execution of a strategy, and also the victory that comes along with the successful implementation of a plan.

Book One explains the nature of war, and also stresses the importance of the decision to go to war in the first place. It is not a decision that should be rushed; when war is considered, plans should be made first to ensure that a campaign can be successful. Only when these plans have been made can war be declared. A successful war is not planned in retrospect. There must also be a reason for the war. What is the objective? What is hoped to be gained? More territory? More power? The neutralization of the enemy? There should be defined goals that enable a strategy to develop which in turn will ensure a victory.

Book Two looks at the more logistical aspects of conflict. Are there enough supplies to sustain troops through to the end of the campaign and are there specific protocols in place for getting those supplies to them? Are there enough troops? Troops must each be assigned a well-defined task, and a good Warlord makes sure that each man is content with the task that he is given. He is not going to be concentrating on the job that he has if he is constantly focusing on the promotion that he wants. Make sure everyone is content in their given role before contemplating going to war.

Book Three is all about the nature of an attack. It is not desirable to use force in order to invade an enemy's land unless it is absolutely unavoidable. It is better to infiltrate the enemy with one's own forces. That way they will be inwardly frightened but maintain an outward appearance of calm, which will trickle down to the people; calm, rational people are far easier to govern, and this will be to the advantage of the incoming Warlord. It is also possible that a show of force will result in a lot of deaths, and the soldiers of the defeated army may feel humiliated, and look for revenge. It is far better to gradually and peacefully subsume the enemy's army into your own so that they are ultimately part of the new force that has quietly invaded.

Book Four deals with the thinking and the theory behind a war. In ancient times, warlords devoted their entire lives to practicing war. However, they also made themselves appear to be unprepared so that their enemy would act in an over-confident manner, and likely underestimate the opponent. They are then more likely to be surprised by the well-thought out strategy that the Warlord employs.

The power of Heaven is the subject of Book Five. The good Warlord would never do anything that would go against the Heavens. He knows that when he puts his heart and soul into the art and the act of war he is harnessing the power of Heaven within himself and carries out his strategy to the best of his ability with Heaven behind him. This Warlord seems to have the help of the Heavens because every move that he makes appears easy and ensures victory.

Book Six is all about fortitude and frailty, and deals with the necessity of harnessing what is going to happen anyway to one's own advantage. It is important to use all of these advantages, and to observe the enemy for the way in which they are doing the same thing. This is how their strengths and weaknesses will emerge. The good Warlord takes little chips against the strength of an army that outnumbers his own so that it is eventually small enough for him to undertake a successful campaign.

Book Seven is a continuation of Book Six in that it explores how to manipulate existing circumstances. In the present day this would be considered putting a spin on everything. For example, if an army is moving slowly and progress is labored, effort should be made to carry insignia and exaggerate the slowness of the pace to make it appear that a procession is happening rather than a movement that is hampered in some way. This is is theme that is carried on into Book Eight where the importance of using a smoke and mirrors approach to battle is emphasized; make it appear that your strategy is one thing when it is really the opposite.

Book Nine address Variation of Circumstances; this means that the way in which things are done should be constantly changed for the safety of the troops. An example that is given is changing the resting places regularly from those designated in the pre-war plans to those that are better suited to the terrain and the territory. This is really another way of saying that a good Warlord is flexible and able to strategize under pressure and as circumstances dictate along the way.

Book Ten deals with the managing of territory in times of peace which is as important as managing a territory during a war. Territories must be clearly marked and defined and ownership clearly adhered to.

Books Eleven and Twelve are about the managing of an actual campaign from beginning to end, and the way in which individual battles must be viewed and considered. Each battle is not an end in itself, but a stepping stone to a greater victory and a successful campaign. Each battle must have a specific purpose in achieving the greater goal and each campaign should achieve the larger purpose that was set out before embarking on any action at all.

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The Art Of War Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Art Of War is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

what does the author recommend if an army is outnumbered by the enemy

If you outnumber the enemy ten to one, surround him; five to one, attack him; two to one, split him. If forces are equal, engage him in open battle; if you in turn are slightly outnumbered, evade his advances; if you are heavily outnumbered,...

STUDY OF LITERATURE

From the text, though I am not sure this is the text you are using in class.....

"Situated as it is in Morgannwg (Glamorgan), on the River Usk, not far from the Severn Sea, in a most pleasant position, and being richer in material wealth than...

From the text:

Bring war material with you from home, but forage on the enemy. Thus the army will have food enough for its needs.

Study Guide for The Art Of War

The Art Of War study guide contains a biography of Sun Tzu, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Art Of War
• Character List

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The Art of War | Book Summary

“The Art of War” is a classic work of military strategy attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu. 

It is a compilation of thirteen chapters, each focused on a different aspect of warfare , with the goal of helping military leaders achieve victory efficiently and effectively . 

The book is known for its deep insights and wisdom about not just warfare, but also politics , business , and personal development as a whole. 

The Art of War Summary 

Here’s a detailed chapter by chapter summary:

• Chapter 1: Laying Plans: This chapter emphasizes the importance of strategic planning. It outlines the five key factors that determine the outcome of military actions: Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, The Commander, and Method and Discipline. These factors form the basis for all further strategy and tactics.
• Chapter 2: Waging War : Sun Tzu discusses the economic aspects of warfare. He emphasizes the importance of winning quickly to minimize the economic and human costs. He also notes the dangerous effects prolonged warfare has on a nation’s resources.
• Chapter 3: Attack by Stratagem: In this chapter, Sun Tzu posits that the best strategy is to attack the enemy’s strategy itself. He further suggests that the second-best is to disrupt alliances. The worst policy is to attack cities because of the high costs involved.
• Chapter 4: Tactical Dispositions: This chapter focuses on the importance of defensive and offensive positioning. Sun Tzu emphasizes that the key to victory lies in the ability to remain invulnerable while also being able to exploit the enemy’s vulnerability.
• Chapter 5: Energy: Sun Tzu talks about the use of creativity and timing in building an army’s momentum. He highlights the importance of understanding the dynamic interplay of Yin and Yang forces in battle.
• Chapter 6: Weak Points and Strong: Here, Sun Tzu discusses how to respond to the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. He suggests various tactics for dealing with an enemy’s strong and weak points, including feints and distractions.
• Chapter 7: Maneuvering: In this chapter, Sun Tzu addresses the complexities of troop movement, positioning, and the importance of choosing the right battleground. He also emphasizes the importance of deception and unpredictability in warfare.
• Chapter 8: Variation in Tactics: Sun Tzu discusses the necessity of flexible strategies. He warns against using the same strategy repeatedly and emphasizes that one must adapt to changing circumstances to win the battle.
• Chapter 9: The Army on the March: This chapter covers the signs of an enemy’s potential actions and the appropriate responses. It includes advice on how to respond to different terrains and environments, and how to interpret the enemy’s movements and disposition.
• Chapter 10: Terrain: Sun Tzu classifies battlegrounds and discusses the specific tactics to be used in each case. It covers six types of terrain: accessible ground, entangling ground, temporizing ground, narrow passes, precipitous heights, and positions at great distance from the enemy.
• Chapter 11: The Nine Situations: Sun Tzu describes nine common situations (or stages) in a campaign, from scattering to deadly, and the specific focus that a commander will need in order to navigate them.
• Chapter 12: The Attack by Fire: In this chapter, Sun Tzu discusses the use of weapons, specifically the strategic use of fire, and the five potential opportunities to use fire to one’s advantage in a conflict.
• Chapter 13: The Use of Spies: The final chapter emphasizes the importance of developing good information sources, and elaborates five types of intelligence sources and how to best manage each of them. Spies are a crucial tool for gathering information about an enemy.

While each chapter presents a different aspect of warfare, the overall theme of the book emphasizes that strategic thinking, understanding the environment , and knowledge of the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses are critical to success not only in war, but in any competitive endeavor.

What can you learn from the book?

1. strategic planning and assessment.

The Art of War stresses the importance of strategic planning and comprehensive evaluation before entering a conflict. 

Sun Tzu states, “ The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. ” 

This principle applies to any form of strategic planning. It encourages careful analysis of your strengths and weaknesses , as well as those of your opponents, before committing to a course of action. 

A modern-day business application might involve a detailed SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) before launching a new product or entering a new market.

2. Adaptability and Flexibility

Sun Tzu emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adaptability in strategy. 

According to him, “ Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows “. 

The idea is that strategies should not be rigid but should be adapted based on changing conditions . The ability to quickly react and adapt to changing circumstances can provide a competitive advantage, whether in warfare, business, or personal life. 

For instance, businesses that swiftly adapted their models during the pandemic were able to survive and even thrive amidst the global crisis.

3. Deception and Indirect Approaches

“ All warfare is based on deception ” says Sun Tzu. 

While outright deception may not be ethical or practical in many modern contexts, the principle of influencing opponents’ perceptions can be critical in many scenarios. 

This could mean projecting confidence and strength when you are weak, creating distractions to obscure your true intentions, or using unconventional strategies to surprise and confound your opponents. 

A classic business example is Apple’s secretive product development process , which has often kept competitors guessing and created significant anticipation and hype among consumers.

4. Victory without Conflict

Sun Tzu writes, “ The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. ” This underscores the notion that the most successful strategies are those that achieve objectives without unnecessary conflict and resource expenditure. 

In business, this could mean winning market share through innovation and superior customer service , rather than aggressive price wars. In negotiation, it could mean finding a solution that addresses the other party’s needs , eliminating the need for a drawn-out confrontation. 

This principle encourages leaders to focus on long-term success over short-term victories, often through building stronger relationships and creating win-win situations.

Final Thoughts

Though “The Art of War” was written more than 2000 years ago, its lessons remain relevant today in various fields beyond warfare, such as business, sports, politics, and personal development . 

It encourages strategic thinking, understanding of the opponent, efficient resource use, adaptability , and the importance of intelligence and information.

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The Art of War by Sun Tzu: Summary & Notes

Rating : 8/10

Available at : Amazon

Related : 33 Strategies of War , 48 Laws of Power

Get access to my collection of 100+ detailed book notes

A timeless book about the strategy of war. Many of the core principles apply beyond war to business and life in general.

The only knock is that much of the strategy is specific to warfare, while more modern books like 33 Strategies of War have broader applicability to modern life.

That said, you will always find new wisdom each time you re-read this book.

• There is legend that this little book was Napoleon's key to success and his secret weapon.
• Always remember, since ancient times, it has been known that..."the true object of war is peace ."

I - Laying Plans

• 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. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected.
• All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
• Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
• 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.

II - Waging War

• Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.
• In all history, there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

III - The Sheathed Sword

• To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
• There are three ways in which a sovereign can bring misfortune upon his army:
• By commanding the army to advance or retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey.
• By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions that obtain in an army.
• By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances.

Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:

• He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
• He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
• He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
• He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
• He will win who has the military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

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.

IV - Tactics

• To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
• The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.
• Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position that makes defeat impossible and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
• Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.
• In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.
• Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.
• Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.

VI - Weak Points & Strong

• Appear at points that the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected.
• The general that is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
• In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them;
• Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downward. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.
• 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.
• Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
• He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent, and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.

VII - Maneuvering

• Without harmony in the state, no military expedition can be undertaken; without harmony in the army, no battle array can be formed.
• An army without its baggage train is lost; without provisions it is lost; without bases of supply it is lost.
• Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. He will conquer who has learned the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering.
• In battle, a courageous spirit is everything.
• A clever general, therefore, avoids and army when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return.
• When you surround an enemy, leave an outlet free. This does not mean that the enemy is to be allowed to escape. The object is to make him believe that there is a road to safety, and thus prevent his fighting with the courage of despair.

VIII - Variation of Tactics

• No town should be attacked which, if taken, cannot be held, or if left alone, will not cause any trouble.
• In the wise leader's plans, considerations of advantage and of disadvantage will be blended together.
• 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; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.
• There are five dangerous faults that may affect a general, of which the first two are: recklessness, which leads to destruction; and cowardice, which leads to capture.
• Next there is a delicacy of honor, which is sensitive to shame; and a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults.
• The last of such faults is oversolicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble, for in the long run the troops will suffer more from the defeat, or at best, the prolongation fo the war, which will be the consequence.

IX - The Army on the March

• He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.
• Humble words and increased preparations are signs that the enemy is about to advance. Violent language and driving forward as if to the attack are signs that he will retreat.
• Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant indicate a plot.
• To begin by bluster, but afterward to take fright at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.

X - Terrain

• Sometimes an army is exposed to calamities, not arising from natural causes, but from faults for which the general is responsible. These are: flight; insubordination; collapse; ruin; disorganization; rout.
• Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.
• If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway toward victory. If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack, we have gone only halfway toward victory. If we know that the enemy is open to attack, and also know that our men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the nature of the ground makes fighting impracticable, we have still gone only halfway toward victory.
• If you know the enemy and you know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt;

XI - The Nine Situations

• Rapidity is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.
• Carefully study the well-being of your men, and do not overtax them.
• Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength.
• Keep your army continually on the move, and devise unfathomable plans.
• You will not succeed unless your men have tenacity and unity of purpose, and above all, a spirit of sympathetic cooperation.
• By altering his arrangements and changing his plans, the skillful general keeps the enemy without definite knowledge.
• By shifting his camp and taking circuitous routes, he prevents the enemy from anticipating his purpose.
• Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose. If the enemy shows an inclination to advance, lure him on to do so; if he is anxious to retreat, delay on purpose that he may carry out his intention.

XII - Attack by Fire

• Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.

XIII - The Use of Spies

• What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.
• Having converted spies means getting hold of the enemy's spies and using them for our own purposes: by means of heavy bribes and liberal promises, detaching them from the enemy's service and inducing them to carry back false information as well as to spy in turn on their own countrymen.
• There must be no more intimate relations in the whole army than those maintained by spies. No other relation should be more liberally rewarded. In no other relation should greater secrecy be preserved.
• Whether the object be to crush an army, to storm a city, or to assassinate an individual, it is always necessary to begin by finding out the names of the attendants, the aides-de-camp, the doorkeepers, and the sentries of the general in command. Our spies must be commissioned to ascertain these.
• The end and aim of spying in all its five varieties is knowledge of the enemy; and this knowledge can only be derived, in the first instance, from the converted spy. He not only brings information himself, but makes it possible to use the other kinds of spies to advantage. Hence it is essential that the converted spy be treated with the utmost liberality.
• Spies are a most important element in war, because upon them depends an army's ability to move.

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Book Review of The Art of War by Sun Tzu

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Genre : Humanities Author : Sun Tzu Title : The Art of War ( Buy the Book )

Table of Contents

Perhaps the greatest warfare novel written, The Art of War , is believed to have been written by Chinese military official, Sun Tzu, around 500 B.C. However, historians continue to debate the authority of the book as well as the very existence of Sun Tzu himself. The novel, a relic of Chinese history, was only recently introduced to Western culture when it was translated first into French and later English in the 20 th century.

Regardless of how the book came to be, The Art of War has fascinated great military minds and common men through its short proverbial literature. Sun Tzu’s book makes for a compelling and philosophical read, as its narrative is designed to provide counsel regarding internal traits related to the General, as well as external strategies and decisions made by the General in order to achieve victory over the enemy.

In addition to the commentary surrounding the qualities of the ideal General, Sun Tzu alludes to the crucial role the General plays in the State. He calls him the “ the arbiter of the people’s fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril. ”

Thus, the duty and responsibility of the General is not simply to win battles, but he determines the outcome of the State’s destiny with his every decision. The importance of his role is not to be taken lightly.

The proverbs from the Art of War can be grouped into two main categories:

• Characteristics and traits of the great General
• Keys to achieving victory in warfare

Under the description of the great General, Sun Tzu stresses the following critical qualities necessary to become successful: Awareness of Situations and Natural Surroundings, Awareness of Self and Enemy, and the specific traits of Cleverness and Wisdom.

With regard to Awareness of Situations and Natural Environment, Sun Tzu introduces the five constant factors that should be considered when observing the conditions and landscape of the field of war. These constants are:

• The Moral Law: that which causes people to be in complete accord with the ruler so they will follow their ruler regardless of their circumstances, undismayed by any danger
• Heaven: signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons; all things beyond human control and manipulation
• Earth: distances, great and small, danger and security, open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death
• The Commander: the General who stands for virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and sternness
• Method and Discipline: marshaling of the army in proper subdivisions, rank, as well as maintenance of roads for supply and military expenditures – practical considerations

Sun Tzu believes these are the five criteria whereby the great General groups his thoughts and observations with respect to the field of battle, leading him to intentionally develop strategies and tactics for the upcoming war. All decisions in warfare should be made with careful regard and consideration to each of these factors. It is interesting to note these constants are a combination of both physical and mental characteristics, contrary to the popular misconception that warfare is merely a physical match of strength and firepower.

In light of the quality of Awareness of Self and Enemy, Sun Tzu lists seven questions the General should consider when making comparisons between his own force and the enemy. Sun Tzu states victory or defeat can be predetermined by the answers to these seven considerations.

These questions of comparison compel the General to develop an in-depth understanding of the force at his command, as well as the enemy army.

• Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral Law?
• Which of the two generals has the most ability?
• With whom lies the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?
• On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?
• Which army is stronger?
• On which side are officers and men more highly trained?
• In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment?

“Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and 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.”– Sun Tzu

Arguably one of the most famous quotes regarding military tactics, ‘All warfare is based on deception’ highlights the significance of cleverness and cunning necessary for success.

Although these qualities would be ideal throughout the army ranks, it is of vital importance for the General to possess these attributes, but to also nurture and develop these skills in the army at large. Sun Tzu encourages the General to pretend to be weak so that the enemy may grow arrogant.

The true mark of a clever General is that he imposes his will on the enemy but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him. This strategy is the height of cleverness and a sure road to victory. In concurrence with the appearance of weakness, holding out traps with which to entice the enemy and feigning disorder and lack of unity is promoted.

“Scheme so as to discover his plans and likelihood of their success. Rouse him and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.” – Sun Tzu

Before elaborating on the paths to attain victory, Sun Tzu defines true victory which is to capture the enemy’s country whole and intact, not to shatter and destroy the enemy’s army and country.

“…supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” – Sun Tzu

The reason for this is that the enemy’s troops and supplies can be used to support the conquering army, augmenting one’s own strength. In addition to the capturing of the enemy, the ‘supreme excellence’ is to break the enemy without engaging in warfare.

This proverb also emphasizes the significance of cleverness and wisdom in accomplishing victory through means outside of direct military encounters. The General’s purpose should be to attain victory, not wage lengthy and costly campaigns, out of personal spite or revenge.

Sun Tzu states the highest form of leadership is to first subvert the enemy’s plans and schemes; the second alternative is to prevent unity of the enemy’s forces; the next best option is to attack the enemy’s army in the field; and the worst plan of action of all is to lay siege to walled cities.

Sun Tzu states there are five essentials to victory:

• He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight
• He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces
• He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks
• He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared
• He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign

“Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.” – Sun Tzu

INTRODUCTION

The Art of War is perhaps the most influential manual concerning the ancient tactics of warfare ever written. Historians continue to debate whether the classic was written by a Chinese military official named Sun Tzu or if Sun Tzu even existed.

Those who refute his existence argue that, had such a brilliant military mind really lived, more would have been recorded regarding his background and conquests in Chinese history. Historians who claim Sun Tzu did exist believe he was in the service of the King Ho-lu of Wu, one of the ancient Chinese kingdoms, but very little is known about his military exploits outside of The Art of War .

Some historians think Sun Tzu did not, in fact, rise to the rank of general in the Chinese military due to the lack of historical evidence of his existence, and the opinion that such talented individuals usually do not rise above certain military ranks due to their genius. The reason such individuals would often not rise above this rank was that the emperor would feel threatened by their power and cunning.

Other historians believe The Art of War was written by a collection of other individuals within the military around approximately the same time Sun Tzu may have lived; while additional scholars think he was one of these contributors.

The military manual is believed to have been written around 500 B.C, a time known as The Warring States Period in China, when the kingdoms of Chu, Han, Qi, Qin, Wei, Yan, and Zhao were repeatedly in conflict with each other for control of the land.

Throughout this historical period, there were many advancements, including the shift from predominately chariot armies to organized armies consisting of primarily infantry and some cavalry, as well as the development of great literary works that became the basis for Chinese religious and social beliefs in the following years.

The main philosophical schools of thought at the time were Taoism and Confucianism, although the philosophy of Legalism was the central governing body under which the Qin Emperors ruled.

Although the book garnered great respect in Eastern traditions, its introduction into Western cultures occurred in 1782, when a Jesuit missionary, Father Amiot, translated the book into French.

However, the first English translation is less than one hundred years old and became widely known when Captain E.F. Calthrop published his version in 1905. Since then, various translators and historians (most notably James Clavell in 1983) have updated the translation, resulting in a more comprehensive version, which is read extensively today.

The proverbs from The Art of War can be grouped into two main categories:

• The characteristics and traits of the great General, and
• The keys to achieving victory in warfare. Sun Tzu’s book makes for a compelling and philosophical read, as its narrative is designed to provide counsel regarding internal traits related to the General, as well as external strategies and decisions made by the General in order to achieve victory over the enemy. In the book, Sun Tzu continuously references the “General” as the quintessential military leader and describes the attributes and leadership skills that he should possess.

THE TRAITS OF THE GREAT GENERAL

“The natural formation of the country is the soldier’s best ally; but a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers, and distances, constitutes the test of a great general. He who knows these things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated.” – Sun Tzu

In The Art of War , Sun Tzu describes the role and importance of the General alluding to him as “the arbiter of the people’s fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.”

The General is the “bulwark of the State; if the bulwark is complete at all points, the State will be strong; if the bulwark is defective, the State will be weak.”

The business of the General is to “be quiet and thus ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order” ; and to “muster his host and bring it into danger.” Sun Tzu’s description of a great General and his leadership traits spans the entire length of The Art of War and is a recurring theme in his proverbs regarding warfare strategies.

The main traits of the successful General can be grouped into the following categories: Awareness of Situations and Natural Surroundings, Awareness of Self and Enemy, and the specific traits of Cleverness and Wisdom.

AWARENESS OF SITUATIONS AND NATURAL SURROUNDINGS

The Art of War begins with perhaps one of the most recognizable phrases written regarding warfare: “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. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.” Beginning with this statement, Sun Tzu outlines the purpose and rationale behind heeding his wise words.

The book immediately introduces the five constant factors that should be considered when observing the conditions and situations of the field of war. These constants are:

• The Moral Law: that which causes people to be in complete accord with their ruler so they will follow their ruler regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger
• Heaven: signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons – all things beyond human control and manipulation
• Earth: distances, great and small, danger and security, open ground and narrow passes; the odds of life and death
• The Commander: the general who stands for virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and sternness

Sun Tzu believes these are the five criteria whereby great generals group their thoughts and observations with respect to the field of battle leading them to intentionally develop strategies and tactics for the upcoming war.

All decisions in warfare should be made with careful regard and consideration to each of these factors. It is interesting to note these constants are a combination of both physical and mental characteristics, which is contrary to the popular misconception that warfare is merely a physical match of strength and firepower.

Along with these criteria, Sun Tzu elaborates extensively on the physical conditions present on the field of battle and how those dictate strategy.

These are conditions governed by Heaven and Earth and are beyond the control of the General. They are factors that cannot be changed – they can only be adapted and twisted to the General’s advantage.

Examples of these physical situations created by Earth include the nine varieties of ‘ground,’ and situations to be recognized and utilized by the great General:

• Dispersive Ground: ground which is considered as fighting in one’s own territory – ‘home turf’
• Facile Ground: situation in which an army has penetrated into hostile territory but not to a great distance
• Contentious Ground: ground in which possession imports great advantage to either side
• Open Ground: where each side has the liberty of movement
• Intersecting Highways: ground which forms the key to three contiguous states so that he who occupies it first has most of the Empire at his command
• Serious Ground: a situation in which an army has penetrated into the heart of a hostile country leaving a number of fortified cities in its rear
• Difficult Ground: ground which is difficult to traverse: mountain forests, rugged land, and marshes
• Hemmed in Ground: ground reached through narrow gorges so that a small number of the enemy would suffice to crush a large body of men
• Desperate Ground: ground in which an army can only be saved from destruction by fighting without delay

Sun Tzu emphasizes the importance of the geography/topography and physical conditions that play a factor in the method of determining the proper manner in which to conduct the battle by stating: “how to make the best of both strong and weak-that is a question involving the proper use of ground.”

Thus, the skillful General must observe the natural surroundings upon surveying the field of battle, and his duty is to develop a battle strategy based upon these factors that will be advantageous to his army.

While an understanding of the situation and natural landscape is of great importance to the General in preparing tactics, he must “be able to turn his knowledge to practical account” as Sun Tzu stresses in the development of the steps in his military method.

The order of Sun Tzu’s military methods proceeds in chronological order as follows: Measurement, Estimation of Quantity, Calculation, Balancing of Chances, and finally Victory. Each of these dimensions of warfare builds upon the preceding one making Measurement, which consists of observations based upon the Earth element of the five constants mentioned earlier, the base on which Victory is built.

Thus, the gravity of making observations regarding nature and situational advantages cannot be overstated because everything else critical to warfare is built on the basis of an understanding of the natural environment.

AWARENESS OF SELF AND ENEMY

In this proverb, Sun Tzu places great value on the knowledge and awareness the General must possess with respect to understanding his army and the enemy. It is interesting to note that Sun Tzu does not mention the outcome of warfare if the General knows the enemy but not himself.

With respect to the opening passage, Sun Tzu lists seven questions the General should consider when making comparisons between his own force and the enemy. Sun Tzu states victory or defeat can be predetermined by the answers to these seven considerations. These questions of comparison compel the General to develop an in-depth understanding of the force at his command, as well as the enemy army.

• With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth?

On the topic of awareness of his own army, Sun Tzu advises the General on the treatment of his soldiers.

He encourages the General not to punish his troops before they have grown attached or acquainted with him or else they will not prove submissive – a trait of critical importance in warfare and which emphasizes a personal relationship with his troops.

However, the General should also enforce the punishments upon his soldiers once they have grown attached or they will become undisciplined in battle. Sun Tzu believes soldiers should be treated in the first instance with humanity but still kept under control through iron discipline – earning the General the respect and command of his men.

Also, Sun Tzu commands the General to “regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.” Therefore, the task of the General is to walk the fine line between treating his soldiers with kindness and mercy, while commanding their respect and obedience to his orders in war.

It is up to the General’s discernment when to respond with encouraging words or punishment when soldiers are out of line. These behaviors strengthen the Moral Law that unites and connects the bonds the General has with his forces.

Sun Tzu concludes the treatment of soldiers with this statement: “If, however, you are indulgent but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose.”

In addition to the knowledge and handling of his soldiers, there are six calamities to which an army can be exposed for which the General is primarily responsible. These consequences are the result of the General not being in tune with, and unaware of, the temperament and situations within his own army. The six calamities are:

• Flight: occurs when, other conditions being equal, one force is hurled against another ten times its size
• Insubordination: occurs when the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak
• Collapse: occurs when the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak
• Ruin: occurs when the higher officers are angry and insubordinate and, upon meeting the enemy, wage war on their own account disregarding the General’s commands
• Utter Disorganization: occurs when the General is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct, and the ranks are formed in a haphazard manner
• Rout: occurs when the General is unable to estimate the enemy’s strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, and neglects to place his skilled veteran warriors in the front rank

By highlighting the catastrophic effects of war, Sun Tzu underlines the General’s need to know the inner workings and well-being of his army and the effect his organizational structure has upon his officers and soldiers.

Sun Tzu also states three conditions the General must consider when ordering his men to attack: whether his army is in condition to fight, whether the enemy is open to attack, and whether the nature of the ground makes battle practical.

If only two of these conditions are fulfilled, then the General will only have achieved a partial victory. However, if all three conditions have been observed as true, victory can most certainly be achieved. The great General must be in tune with knowledge of himself, the enemy, and the natural ground and circumstances upon which the battle will be fought.

Along with proverbs specific to his own army, Sun Tzu also presents the General with advice specific to the enemy and their strategies: what enemy movements entail and how the manner in which the enemy moves tips their hand to reveal their strategies and objectives.

For example, the effect of enemy troops on the natural environment may cause the sudden flight of birds in the air, the rising of dust in different types of columns and heights based on troop movement and strength, and the movement of trees in forests and grass – the successful General should be alert to these natural signs.

The General is tasked with being observant of the manner in which these varying natural occurrences reveal enemy troop movement, marches, strategies, and ambushes. This task blends the different traits of the successful General: awareness of natural surroundings and situations as well as knowledge of the enemy.

The clever General does not attack the enemy when their spirit is keen but waits for them to appear sluggish and disheartened – this is called the art of studying moods.

Therefore, the brilliant and successful General is able to observe and decipher the body language of the enemy, whether they are primed for warfare or fight out of obligation and fear. This ability to accurately evaluate an enemy will shape the General’s strategy and the subsequent methods of warfare that are chosen in order to conquer the enemy.

CLEVERNESS AND WISDOM

“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” – Sun Tzu

Arguably one of the most famous quotes regarding military tactics, “All warfare is based on deception” highlights the significance of cleverness and cunning necessary for success. Although these qualities would be ideal throughout the army ranks, it is of vital importance for the General to possess these attributes, but to also nurture and develop these skills in the army at large.

Sun Tzu likens the skillful and clever General to the Shuai-Jan, a snake found in the Chung mountains of China.

It is debatable whether the Shuai-Jan snake is a mythical or real creature, but the significance of the metaphor still stands. The Shuai-Jan snake is able to recognize and respond to various scenarios thrown at it: strike at its head, and it will attack with its tail; strike at its tail, and it will attack with its head; strike at its middle and it will attack with both head and tail.

By comparing the General and his army to a living creature capable of such maneuvers, Sun Tzu highlights the importance of unity and adaptability to different situations. It is also worth noting that the head of the snake is the primary means of attacking, while the tail acts as its less deadly form of striking.

With any army, the front force that is attacking is stronger, but the back must still be capable of lashing out if the proper circumstances arise. Thus, the General should lead with his strength, or the head of the snake, while able to still strike with his rear forces or the tail of the snake.

In addition to the Shuai–Jan snake, Sun Tzu implores the General to “at first, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you.”

Once again, similes are used to highlight the manner in which to act and strike the enemy.

Before the battle begins, Sun Tzu utilizes the metaphor of a maiden for the General to disguise his strengths and appear weak before the enemy. Thus, the enemy will advance and attack seeking victory over a seemingly feeble opponent, which is the time when the army should strike with the speed and quickness of a hare with the intention of catching the enemy off-guard and unaware.

Besides the metaphor of the maiden and the hare, Sun Tzu encourages the General to pretend to be weak so that the enemy may grow arrogant. The true mark of the clever General is that he imposes his will on the enemy but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.

This strategy is the height of cleverness and a sure road to victory. In concurrence with the appearance of weakness, holding out traps with which to entice the enemy and feigning disorder and lack of unity is promoted.

In this manner, the enemy will take notice of apparent weakness and chaos – beginning the attack with arrogance and sure victory in sight, unaware of the real might and power of the General’s forces. “Scheme so as to discover his plans and likelihood of their success. Rouse him and learn the principle of his activity or inactivity. Force him to reveal himself, so as to find out his vulnerable spots.” – Sun Tzu

Along with cleverness and deception, the great General must develop wisdom so that when battle arrives, he is thoroughly prepared and may be able to decide upon the best route to victory. A crucial part of wisdom is forethought and preparation heading into the battle.

A wise man is prepared for any and all situations.

Sun Tzu encourages the General to think and plan before taking action: “thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat; how much more no calculation at all!” Based on this point, Sun Tzu can forecast who will win or lose based on the amount of preparation and forethought by the opposing forces.

With respect to wisdom, Sun Tzu lists five dangerous faults which may affect the General; these are described as ‘besetting sins,’ which can be ruinous to warfare:

• Recklessness, which leads to destruction
• Cowardice, which leads to capture
• Hasty Temper, which can be provoked by insults
• Delicacy of Honor, which is sensitivity to shame
• Over-Solicitude for his Men, which exposes him to worry and trouble

Overall, these five possible mistakes can be grouped together under the category of wisdom: for a wise man is not reckless, but exudes courage, is not easily angered, and glorifies honor and his men, but not to a fault.

When loss is imminent, and the army is routed, the cause for defeat will surely be revealed in one of these ‘besetting sins.’ Sun Tzu extols these virtues as subjects of necessary meditation. Therefore, the wise General, being aware of these faults, studies their importance and is alert to them in his preparations.

“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.” – Sun Tzu

KEYS TO VICTORY

“Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” – Sun Tzu

Before elaborating on the paths to attain victory, the definition of true victory is described by Sun Tzu.

The best way to achieve victory is to capture the enemy’s country whole and intact, and not to shatter and destroy the enemy’s army and country. The reason for this is that the enemy’s troops and supplies can be used to support the conquering army, augmenting one’s own strength.

In addition to the capturing of the enemy, the ‘supreme excellence’ is to break the enemy without engaging in warfare. This proverb also emphasizes the significance of cleverness and wisdom in accomplishing victory through means outside of direct military encounters.

The General’s purpose should be to attain victory, not wage lengthy and costly campaigns out of personal spite or revenge.

Sun Tzu states the highest form of leadership is to first impede the enemy’s plans and schemes. The second alternative is to prevent unity of the enemy’s forces. The next option is to attack the enemy’s army in the field. The worst plan of action of all is to lay siege to walled cities.

In a siege, Sun Tzu compares the General’s troops to ‘swarming ants’ in an assault, with the result of the battle being a possible loss of one-third of his forces. Therefore, the wise General uses means outside of all-out warfare to pursue victory, then employs his army in an assault if necessary. Engaging in a lengthy campaign against a heavily fortified enemy is strongly discouraged.

Along with advice on the type of warfare to be utilized, Sun Tzu declares the effectiveness of a quick victory.

For if the war is long in nature, then the men’s weapons will grow dull and their spirit will be broken. In addition to the physical toll, a prolonged campaign affects troops, diminishes the resources of the nation, strains the economy and people back home grow discouraged.

The troops are disheartened; spirits are dampened, and the treasury is spent. The General must then be wary of other chieftains rebelling and taking advantage of the dire situation.

If this occurs, Sun Tzu says “then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue.” The clever and successful General wages a quick campaign with the intent of breaking the enemy’s spirit in order to achieve victory with minimal loss of life.

“In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.” – Sun Tzu

• He will win who, himself prepared, waits to take the enemy unprepared

The first three essentials for victory allude to the General’s knowledge of himself and the enemy as well as of the situation and nature surrounding the field of war.

The fourth precept stresses the importance of wisdom and preparation necessary for war so that victory can be attained through quick and decisive military action. The last proverb for victory does not fit in as well with the others, but the lesson is important nonetheless: the General should not be micromanaged by his superiors or the sovereign, who is not as aware of the military situation as the General or may have other lesser motives.

Sun Tzu touches on the relationship between the sovereign and the General later in The Art of War when he says there are “commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.”

The basic point is that the one who is most familiar with the situation and aware of what is going on should be making the critical decisions, and not an emperor far away in a distant palace. However, this does not give the General the authority to disregard every decision by the emperor, but rather to act on his own accord in the heat of battle where politics have no place.

“The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.” – Sun Tzu

Not all military tactics are based on offensive maneuvers – there are also defensive strategies designed to thwart an enemy’s assault. Specifically, Sun Tzu encourages a strong defense, one that will not allow defeat before any offensive tactics are deployed.

In this case, the army’s defense acts as a hedge against the possibility of failure by the army’s offensive assaults. Sun Tzu believes there are opportunities for victory when one takes advantage of the enemy’s mistakes, thereby ensuring their defeat.

The first priority of the General then is to make certain the defenses can hold against defeat and then wait for the enemy to give him the path through which victory can be attained. Sun Tzu states “the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.”

This statement directly contradicts common perceptions about warfare mentality, in that the initial objective of the General should be about not suffering defeat rather than winning. However, this strategy will change over time and is based on the movements made by the enemy and if those actions provide an opportunity for victory.

Additionally, the General must be able to adapt his tactics throughout the course of the battle – a static battle plan is futile against the changing status of war. Sun Tzu again uses nature as an analogy, when he states that, similar to water, an army should be changing its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows.

Water has the ability to change its form and course upon a moment’s notice when it encounters different terrain and natural surfaces.

So, an army should be fluid to the circumstances surrounding it, which is a duty the General must master in order to be successful.

“Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldiers work out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.” Military tactics should also be similar to water in its course of action in that, as water flows from high ground to low ground, it is also better strategically to strike from high places to lower places.

Sun Tzu states “he who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.” This skill is not common to the average man and is a mark of a wise and clever General with years of experience and superb leadership skills.

Sun Tzu also uses three metaphors to emphasize the need for altering tactics based on the particular situation.

He states that, while there are only five musical notes, these notes give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. There are only five primary colors, yet, in combination, they produce more hues and mixes than can ever be seen.

Lastly, there are not more than five cardinal tastes, but these senses yield more flavors than can ever be tasted. These metaphors highlight how warfare, though simple in its base state, is of a very complex nature through the combination of different tactics.

According to Sun Tzu, there are only two methods of attack – the direct and indirect. The direct method, although not explicitly defined, is used for joining the battle, and indirect methods are necessary for securing victory.

Sun Tzu compares the use of indirect tactics to the rising and setting of the sun and moon in that when one ends, the other rises to take its place; the sun sets only to rise again the next day. These two means of attack give rise to an endless number of tactical maneuvers. The direct and indirect methods are similar to moving in a circle since it never ends – the number of combinations between these two methods is inexhaustible.

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War , one of the most significant military books ever written, describes in great length the qualities and manners in which the notable General can achieve victory. Before the war has even begun, the General must possess an understanding and awareness of the environment surrounding the battlefield so as to prepare and develop strategies conducive to the circumstances.

In addition to knowledge of the ‘playing field,’ the General must be in tune with his army and know its strengths and weaknesses; the same can be said of the enemy forces. Knowledge of these three factors and how they affect warfare are essential in the making of the General.

While these previous factors are critical to the understanding of the battle-field, it is essential that the General develops clever and wise schemes based on this knowledge. If the General then uses his knowledge in a practical manner and deploys brilliant tactics conducive to rapid strikes with fluid tactics, victory will surely be his.

“Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter.” — Winston Churchill

“There are but two powers in the world, the sword, and the mind. In the long run, the sword is always beaten by the mind.” — Napoleon Bonaparte

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

Q1. Sun Tzu encourages the use of spies and other deceptive military methods, which translated to modern day, may appear illegal or immoral. Is Sun Tzu’s strategy, in this regard, still relevant? The United States still employs spies who live and work according to the phrase “all warfare is based on deception.” In what way can you use ‘deception’ to your advantage in a corporate setting?

Q2. Do you believe in Sun Tzu’s method of treating his army with love, such as his ‘sons’ while instilling them with discipline ( “Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons and they will stand by you even unto death”) ? If so, how do you balance these two so as not to appear weak or overbearing?

Q3. Do you believe you hold the qualities and traits outlined above that Sun Tzu deemed necessary for a great General to possess?

Q4. Do you treat business as war?

Q5. Do you believe it is possible to achieve ‘victory’ over an enemy in modern business? If so, what does this ‘victory’ look like for you and your company? Do you believe Sun Tzu’s tactics will assist you in this ‘victory’?

Q6. Sun Tzu states “too frequent rewards indicate that the General is at the end of his resources; too frequent punishments that he is in acute distress.” Is this true in a corporate setting?

Britt always taught us Titans that Wisdom is Cheap , and principal can find treasure troves of the good stuff in books. We hope only will also express their thanks to the Titans if the book review brought wisdom into their lives.

This post has been slightly edited to promote search engine accessibility.

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Review: Sun-tzu: Art of War , translated by Ralph D. Sawyer

Boulder, CO: Basic Books, 1994. 375 pp. $15.95 (paperback).

War is one of man’s most destructive activities (only dictatorship has ruined more lives), and it is not surprising that thousands of books have been written about it. Yet, paradoxically, books on war itself —books concerned with war as a phenomenon, rather than focused on strategy, tactics, or some particular war—have been relatively few. This is due in part to the focus by modern scholars on the minutiae of human affairs, and their reluctance to deal with broad generalizations; but the failure to come to grips with the abstract principles of war goes back to the dawn of historical writing. The ancient Greek historian Thucydides, a soaring intellect obsessed by the great war between Athens and Sparta, identified “honor, security and interest” as causally important principles that motivate men “for all time.” But even Thucydides did not examine the philosophical foundations of these factors; he took them as given in human nature, which left the study of war mired in the vagaries of human desires and without philosophical grounding. 1 As a result, important questions remained unanswered: What are the principles of war; what are their philosophical foundations, and what methods of waging war do they imply?

In ancient China, a thriving culture of thinkers tried to answer such questions. They derived principles of warfare from ideas that were fundamental to their own philosophies and applied those principles to the practical needs of military commanders. The extant remains of these works have been compiled into the so-called seven Chinese military classics, the best preserved of which is Art of War by Sun-tzu, who lived sometime between 450 and 250 BC, about the time of classical Greece. 2 This was approximately the “Warring States” period of Chinese history, when China was divided among military warlords, iron was first used in weapons, armies grew to more than one hundred thousand men, and commanders needed expert guidance to help them organize their huge forces. Ralph Sawyer has produced a lively translation, with a historical essay and explanatory notes, of Sun-tzu’s classic work. Sawyer also includes new supplementary material, found in graves and carved on bamboo stalks, that adds to our knowledge of ancient Chinese thought.

Sun-tzu has nothing to teach us about the technological aspects of war or the logistics required to feed a modern army, and his work obviously cannot speak to certain complex political relations between modern nations. But Sun-tzu’s book has much value, for it says a lot about how a commander should approach his enemy, how he should decide to attack or to retreat, how to outsmart an enemy, and what it takes to be victorious. He presents his ideas in a logical, principled way that is consistent with his deeper philosophy of nature.

What is that philosophy of nature? Sun-tzu begins with the Tao, roughly “the Way,” a very broad concept that is founded on his basic understanding of the world. Sun-tzu’s widest conception of Tao—his overarching view of the world—is rooted in observations of naturally balanced forces: day follows night, rain follows the drought, cool follows heat, every positive is balanced by a negative. For example, Sun-tzu’s Heaven—meaning the sky and weather—“encompasses yin and yang, cold and heat, and the constraints of the seasons” (p. 167). To understand the heavens, one must understand the ebb and flow of seasons and the shifting patterns of weather.

Such oppositions inform Sun-tzu’s examinations at every step, and not only in regard to physical phenomena, but also in regard to human affairs. For instance, the government is a balance between the forces of its nobility and its people; the Tao here refers to the legal and administrative policies that a leader must balance and control (p. 303, note 3). But the recognition of such oppositions is most crucial in regard to war: “Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the way (Tao) to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed” (p. 167). Art of War is a handbook for those who wish to understand the opposing aspects of war and thus to survive through victory rather than to perish through defeat.

Sun-tzu breaks down the relevant factors of war into opposing parts: Every strength, he says, has a weakness; every excellence of character, he says, implies a vice; every army, he tells us, has power along with vulnerability; and every way of victory, he warns, has a corresponding way of defeat. To understand the “true nature” of war, Sun-tzu tells us, we must “structure it according to five factors”: first, the Tao that “causes the people to be fully in accord with the ruler,” the way of social order rather than chaos; second, Heaven with its opposing forces of weather; third, the Earth and its nine types of terrain, each with correspondingly proper and improper ways of deploying troops; fourth, the General himself, with his wisdom, credibility, benevolence, courage, discipline, and their opposites; and finally the Laws, which “encompass organization and regulation, the Tao [method and organization] of command, and the management of logistics”(p. 167). Those who understand these things, Sun-tzu writes, will be victorious.

The art of war, according to Sun-tzu, is essentially a matter of seeing each situation clearly, understanding what type of situation it is, and grasping the advantages and disadvantages in it. The first and primary lesson for every commander is that victory requires knowledge. At every step, he must learn and continue to learn. He must know himself, his own people, his enemy, the terrain, and the issues at stake: “Thus it is said, if you know them and know yourself, your victory will not be imperiled” (p. 215). He must grasp myriad details; there are, for instance, five types of incendiary attacks, each to be launched according to the phases of the moon, and each requiring the proper wind conditions (pp. 204; 213–14; 219–20; 227). 3 The reasons are not mystical or astrological; rather, they pertain to the physical conditions in which an attack is to be launched, which determine the kind of attack that will succeed. Every such factor implies alternatives leading either toward victory or toward defeat.

Knowledge and self-understanding are central to success. A commander who understands himself and his people will neither attack when he should not, nor fail to attack when he should: “One who cannot be victorious assumes a defensive posture; one who can be victorious attacks. In these circumstances, by assuming a defensive posture, strength will be more than adequate, whereas in offensive actions it would be inadequate” (p. 183).

Missing from Sun-tzu’s prescriptions is any equivalent of the Greek and Roman competitions for honor and glory—competitions in which young men, blinded by their emotions, often rushed off to battle when the rational course would have been to avoid battle for the moment and to outwit the enemy. Sun-tzu recognized that such impetuousness was a profound weakness: “If a general cannot overcome his impatience . . . he will kill one-third of his officers and troops” and still not attain victory (p. 177). To decide whether one should attack or pull back requires clearheaded awareness of one’s own position and that of the enemy. For example, Sun-tzu stressed the horrendous losses involved in besieging cities; he saw this as the least effective way for a stronger force to win. A strong force that should attack, however, must not remain immobile; that too would be an error. The general must discern where he should attack in order to disrupt the defensive plans of his enemy, while the defenders must find a way to tax the strength of the attackers in order to deny them victory. Only knowledge of one’s self and one’s enemy can reveal the proper course in such a back and forth flow of action.

This knowledge, Sun-tzu emphasized, is to be found by gathering evidence, not by soothsaying. In his section on the use of spies, Sun-tzu observed:

The means by which enlightened rulers and sagacious generals moved and conquered others . . . was advance knowledge. Advance knowledge cannot be gained from ghosts and spirits, inferred from phenomena, or projected from the measures of Heaven, but must be gained from men for it is the knowledge of the enemy’s true situation (p. 231).

Advance knowledge means awareness of an enemy’s plans ahead of his actual movements, which requires scrupulous concern for the facts and a proper method of understanding them. Sun-tzu’s emphasis on natural signs, for instance, is not mystical fortune-telling, but awareness of the evidence at hand. Keep your eyes open: “If large numbers of trees move, they [the enemy] are approaching.” Watch the animals: “If the birds take flight, there is an ambush.” Watch for the shape of dust clouds so you can ascertain whether chariots or infantry are approaching, or whether the enemy is gathering firewood or making camp. Observe the enemy himself most closely: “If the army is turbulent, the general lacks severity. If their flags and pennants move about, they are in chaos. If the officers are angry, they are exhausted” (pp. 208–209).

The centrality of knowledge to the Tao of war means that war, properly waged, is a matter of the intellect. Physical destruction of the enemy is always the least effective means to victory, and is never the end of war. It is far better to compel the enemy to surrender without such destruction. Sun-tzu notes that “attaining one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the pinnacle of excellence. Subjugating the enemy’s army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence” (p. 177). Outwitting the enemy is preferable to outkilling him, because the general’s aim is to preserve the lives of his people while achieving victory. The essence of victory is to break the will of the enemy and to force him to follow yours: “[O]ne who excels at warfare compels men and is not compelled by men” (p. 191). 4

How can a commander achieve such success? Sun-tzu understands the goals of war in terms of a hierarchy; the commander’s greatest strength is not in his arms, but rather in his intellectual capacity to grasp the totality of a situation and to plan his movements in anticipation of the enemy’s. The most crucial military objective is to disrupt the enemy’s plans, and to throw his movements into chaos: “[T]he highest realization of warfare is to attack the enemy’s plans; next is to attack their alliances; next to attack their army; and the lowest is to attack their fortified cities.” Because knowledge is the key to planning, knowledge is therefore the key to victory, and the way to defeat an enemy is to subvert his ability to grasp the situation. Sun-tzu sums up this latter point succinctly: “Warfare is the Way (Tao) of deception” (pp. 168, 177).

One aspect of the way to victory is to outwit an enemy by creating an image of one’s forces that is the opposite of their real condition. If you are able to act, Sun-tzu advises, “display incapability to them.” If you are committed to deploying your forces, “feign inactivity.” If your objective is close, “make it appear as if distant; when far away, create the illusion of being nearby” (p. 168). If you want an enemy to attack, show him something of value; if you want his attention, take something of value from him. Keep him off guard; learn to turn “the circuitous into the straight” (pp. 197–98). If you face an arrogant enemy, do not resist his central front when he advances; your appearance of weakness will embolden him to push ahead, and you can surround and destroy him with your hidden forces.

These stratagems are set in ancient battlefield conditions, devoid of modern communications and technology, and we can see many limits to Sun-tzu’s aphorisms. But he does have something to teach modern military minds. Unlike many today, for instance, he recognized the debilitating effects of protracted war on the morale of a fighting force. When taking an army of one hundred thousand soldiers into battle, “a victory that is long in coming will blunt their weapons and dampen their ardor. . . . I have heard of awkward speed but have never seen any skill in lengthy campaigns. No country has ever profited from protracted warfare” (p. 173). Sun-tzu knew that the speedy achievement of objectives maintains the fighting spirit of an army and that unnecessary delay breeds dejection. Unwarranted delay by a strong force is a weakness that a savvy enemy will exploit—as many of our enemies today have done. Placing one’s troops into hostile territory without simultaneously unleashing their wrath on the enemy was not Sun-tzu’s idea of a good strategy. A successful commander “destroys other people’s states without prolonged fighting” (p. 177). Sun-tzu also realized that battle itself can imply a failure to prevail by better means: “Preserving [the enemy’s] army is best, destroying their army second best” (p. 177). This, too, applies to our own day. When the British gave Czechoslovakia to Hitler in 1938, Hitler took control of the entire country, along with the undamaged fortresses, arms, supplies, and equipment of a million-man army, all without firing a shot. There is no evidence that British leaders discussed such consequences. Those leaders fell prey to Hitler because they failed to know themselves, their enemy, and his plans. They should have heeded Sun-tzu.

Sun-tzu said little about the overall purpose of war beyond the defeat of one warlord by another. War in his day—the so-called Warring States period—consisted of struggles for dominance between such rivals, each trying to unify China under a single emperor. Sun-tzu had no understanding of how to evaluate war in terms of individual rights and the protection of freedom. His thought was conditioned by a distinctly eastern view of nature and was in many ways primitive. But he can teach us a thing or two about how small, militarily weak countries can turn their physical incapacities into advantages through deception. He would advise us to pay attention to the way in which an enemy leader calls his people to arms, to the reasons why an entire population follows him into battle, and to the hidden motives behind his rhetoric.

Most importantly, Sun-tzu counsels us not to be sidetracked by details from a central truth about war: war is fought with wits as well as with weapons, and the way to victory is to use one’s mind to defeat one’s enemy. We can all profit by heeding Sun-tzu’s principle that “the army values being victorious; it does not value prolonged warfare” (p. 174). To achieve victory, a commander must know himself, his purposes, and his enemy. He must think.

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About John David Lewis

John David Lewis was a contributing editor to TOS from the journal’s second issue, in 2006, until his death , on January 3, 2012. He was a visiting associate professor in the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program at Duke University. He held a PhD in classics from the University of Cambridge and taught at the University of London. He had also been a senior research scholar in history and classics at the Social Philosophy and Policy Center, Bowling Green State University, and a fellow of the Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship. He published in journals such as Journal of Business Ethics, Social Philosophy and Policy, Polis , Dike , and Bryn Mawr Classical Review , and lectured on classics, military history, and contemporary political issues at numerous universities and for private groups. His research interests were in ancient Greek and Roman thought, military history, and their connections to the modern day. His books are Solon the Thinker: Political Thought in Archaic Athens (Duckworth, 2006), Early Greek Lawgivers (Bristol Classical Press, August, 2007), and Nothing Less than Victory: Decisive Wars and the Lessons of History (Princeton, 2010). Dr. Lewis also wrote for Capitalism Magazine . His website is www.JohnDavidLewis.com .

1 Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War , translated by Rex Warner (New York: Penguin, 1972), section 1.76, p. 80.

2 The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China , translated by Ralph D. and Mei-Chün Sawyer (Boulder, CO: Westview, 1993).

3 The categories of terrain were probably not settled; Sun-tzu offers different interpretations at different passages.

4 Nearly echoing the Prussian theorist Clausewitz: “Force . . . is thus the means of war; to impose our will on the enemy is its object .” Carl von Clausewitz, On War , translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976), section 1.2, p. 75.

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The best lessons from 'Art of War,' a book Evan Spiegel bought Snapchat employees when he felt threatened by Facebook

When Mark Zuckerberg and Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel first met, Spiegel left the meeting feeling unsettled.

According to a Forbes interview with Spiegel , Zuckerberg had said Facebook was working on an app that sounded a lot like Snapchat, Poke, and that the app would be launching soon.

'It was basically like, 'We're going to crush you,'" Spiegel told Forbes' J.J. Colao.

Spiegel quickly purchased a book, " The Art of War " by Sun Tzu, for each member of his six-person team.

The Art of War was written by a Chinese general named Sun Tzu more than 2,500 years ago, possibly in the 6th Century BC .  The book has long been heralded for its advice on military success. And this advice has since been co-opted by legions of armchair soldiers and generals in the business world.

The book is composed of 13 chapters, each of which focuses on a different aspect of war. It's a smart book. It's also poetic, repetitive, and arcane. So we've boiled down the highlights, compiling quotes from throughout the book.

ON MANAGEMENT: Care about your team, but also be tough

There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:  

• recklessness , which leads to destruction;
• cowardice , which leads to capture;
• a hasty temper , which can be provoked by insults;
• a delicacy of honor, which is sensitive to shame;
• over-solicitude for his men , which exposes him to worry and trouble.   

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.

If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose.   

When the general is weak and without authority; when his orders are not clear and distinct; when there are no fixed duties assigned to officers and men, and the ranks are formed in a slovenly haphazard manner, the result is utter disorganization.

Based on text from " The Art of War ."

ON MANAGEMENT: Hire great people, because weak, frustrated subordinates will cripple you.

When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination. When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse. 

When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin. 

ON STRATEGY: Know your enemy

If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory.

In your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this way:

• which of the two generals has the most ability? 
• on which side is Discipline most rigorously enforced?  
• which army is stronger? 
• on which side are the officers and men more highly trained? 
• in which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment? 

Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical. 

ON TACTICS: All warfare is based on deception

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. 

ON TACTICS: Be decisive and quick

Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.     

There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.   

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

Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.   

Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted...

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

ON TACTICS: Exploit your enemy's weaknesses, avoid his strengths

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant .

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.   

If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve. 

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.   

Based on text from " The Art of War ."  

ON TACTICS: Don't just do something for the sake of doing something -- make sure it helps you

If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.

ON TACTICS: Plan ahead -- don't make it up as you go

Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. 

Carefully study the well-being of your men, and do not overtax them. Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength. Keep your army continually on the move, and devise unfathomable plans. 

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. 

We cannot enter into alliance with neighbouring princes until we are acquainted with their designs. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country – its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps. We shall be unable to turn natural advantages to account unless we make use of local guides. 

Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.

WARNING: Don't attack someone just because they made you mad

No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.

INFORMATION IS KING: Don't go into battle without knowing what you're up against

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 this foreknowledge cannot be elicited from spirits; it cannot be obtained inductively from experience, nor by any deductive calculation. 

Knowledge of the enemy's dispositions can only be obtained from other men. [i.e., spies.] 

Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity. 

They [spies] cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness. 

Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports. 

Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business.

When a general, unable to estimate the enemy's strength, allows an inferior force to engage a larger one, or hurls a weak detachment against a powerful one, and neglects to place picked soldiers in the front rank, the result must be rout. 

He who knows things, and in fighting puts his knowledge into practice, will win his battles. He who knows them not, nor practices them, will surely be defeated. 

Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient. 

HOW TO LOSE: Tell your people to do something they can't; promote incapable people; or work your team to death

There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune on his army:

• By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army.
• By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldiers' minds.
• By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.

The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and use combined energy 

When he uses combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if round-shaped to go rolling down. 

MISCELLANEOUS: Drag yourself out of bed early -- and other tips

Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is only on returning to camp. 

When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are faint from want of food. 

If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst. 

If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak. If the banners and flags are shifted about, sedition is afoot. If the officers are angry, it means that the men are weary. 

Thus the skilful general conducts his army just as though he were leading a single man, willy-nilly, by the hand.

It is the business of a general to be quiet and thus ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order. 

He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance. 

Bestow rewards without regard to rule, issue orders without regard to previous arrangements; and you will be able to handle a whole army as though you had to do with but a single man. 

Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:

• He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight . 
• He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. 
• He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. 
• He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. 
• He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. 

In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, 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. 

Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. 

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

Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it. 

THE BOTTOM LINE

If you know the enemy and 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.

You can buy The Art of War here, at Amazon .

Or you can read it for free, here.

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The Art of War – Ancient competitive tactics for the modern age

It’s almost a decade since Mark Zuckerberg invited Snapchat CEO, Evan Spiegel to meet him. I’ll assume that most of us would be excited about this invite. But not Spiegel. His response. “I’m happy to meet you…if you come here.” Thereby forcing Zuckerberg to fly Los Angeles to meet (and warn) Spiegel about his new photo sharing app, Poke, that would make Snapchat disappear. Spiegel’s first act on returning was to order a book for all his employees: The Art of War.

Fast forward a few months. Poke’s incredible debut is followed by a dramatic slump, soon followed by a second meeting involving Zuckerberg, Spiegel, and a $3 billion offer to buy Snapchat. An offer that seemed ridiculously good to be true given’s Snapchat’s young age, low revenues, and future uncertainties. And an offer that Spiegel would decline.

It may be unwise to believe that The Art of War held the secret to their triumph over Poke. But it seemed important to Spiegel that his team reads a copy of the text. An indication of its value. And a read will tell you the impact it can have not just in a competitive landscape, but on a personal one as well.

The Art of War – A 2500-year-old Guide for the Modern Age

Originally conceived as a document on military strategy and warfare, Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’ remains a guiding text for modern society, over 2500 years after it was first written. One of the world’s oldest known texts on the subject, it is today a highly influential strategic guide in competitive endeavours across politics, sports, legal strategy, business boardroom, and battlefields.

Written for the battleground, its lessons can also be deployed in personal battles faced in a digital era. As opposed to what the title may suggest, The Art of War is not a strategic framework, but a guide. A guide to thinking in critical moments of conflict. And while we all hope and aim to avoid conflicts, they are nevertheless something we must endure from time-to-time. Whether your conflict is external with another individual, or with yourself, the advice this text delivers can be used to develop an approach that ensures you win.

If you avoid conflict to keep the peace, you start a war inside yourself Cheryl Richardson

The Art of War – Or an Art and Way of Life

We’ve been hearing from a very young age that we’re growing up in a very competitive world. Our entire environment growing up in fact was designed to encourage competition. For all the good that the competition does in instilling certain values, competition invariably breeds conflict. Sometimes with the ones we compete against. Sometimes within our teams. And sometimes, within ourselves. Despite what we want to believe, there’s hardly anyone who isn’t faced by these conflicts. They are no longer an avoidable hazard. But very much a part of our lives today. A way of living. And when faced with such battles every day, it wouldn’t be unwise to reach out to a guide in your struggles. In this case, a guide in the form of a centuries-old military strategy text.

Lessons for a Lifetime

• Choose your battles “He will win who knows when to fight. And when not to fight.” Just as Sun Tzu urges armies to engage in a battle only when they have a clear advantage, you need to pick your battles in life with a similar approach. Life is largely about choices. Choosing a career path for instance is about choosing where you can make successful moves depending on your skills, and avoiding choices that don’t fit your skills.
• Timing is key “The quality of a decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim .” Sun Tzu believed that the outcome of a move on a battlefield depends not only on the of its execution, but also on its timing. While a good strategy and plan is certainly key, its success will also depend on how well it suits a given situation. Don’t rush into anything, without ensuring the conditions favour your move. Consider marketing campaigns for example. Especially in the digital age when you can reach millions, and trends can change within days, if not hours. Your idea needs to be executed at a time when it is relevant.
• Know yourself. More importantly, know who you’re against “It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.” Perhaps one of the most important points Sun Tzu makes in The Art of War. Overcoming a rival is as much about your opponent and his strengths as it is about your own. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses, desires, and any tactics they may look to deploy is critical to swinging the outcome in your favour. Businesses across sectors and scale understand (or at least need to) this as well. The increasing use of data and research about your competitors and customers – even though you wouldn’t categorize your customers as opponents – is what drives survival and growth in an increasingly competitive world.
• The art of deception and disguise “A ll warfare is based on deception. ” Sun Tzu believed that a plan is not enough to win a battle. The plan needs to be disguised by deploying means of deception. Deception and disguise, or at least ‘confidentiality’ is quite common in today’s corporate environment. Whether it’s about an organization’s business mergers or deals, innovations, business launches, marketing campaigns, or even employee compensations. Secrecy and confidentiality is today a big part of running a successful business.
• Change is an opportunity “In the midst of chaos, there is opportunity.” According to Sun Tzu, change and one’s ability to adapt to change is an important factor that will decide the outcome of any conflict. As we have all witnessed at some point or another, change is an inevitable part of both, life and business as well. And the best way to adapt to change is to be calm, and prepared. Changes in the form of new laws, regulations, new innovations can all pose a challenge to any business. But a calm leadership can not only deal with these changes, but also use them as opportunities.
• Everyone loses in a prolonged war “There is no instance of a nation benefitting from a prolonged warfare.” Sun Tzu’s simple advice on winning a battle is to make every strike count. Efficiency is key. A prolonged battle takes its toll on all camps involved in terms of manpower, resources, time, and energy. The same holds true for businesses. A legal dispute for instance is bound to have a severe impact on the resources and finances of all parties involved. Not to mention what these long-drawn conflicts can do to their public reputation.
• Move first “Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.” Be first to the battlefield. Familiarise yourself with the environment where you will engage your opponent. And you will always have the upper hand. Businesses have for long been taking this advice to the marketplace. Understanding a need in the market, and address it before any of your competitors. And by doing the right things, you’ll likely be ahead of anyone who follows. As one of my professors would often say, ‘If there is a gap in the market, find out if there is a market in the gap.’
• Drums and flags “On the field of battle, the spoken word does not carry far enough: hence the institution of gongs and drums. Nor can ordinary objects be seen clearly enough: hence the institution of banners and flags.” Whether in wars or businesses, leaders need tools to help share their plans, and committed teams of individuals to help execute those plans that are then seen by the world. The modern-day leader doesn’t need drums to spread his message. Rather a simple mail, or a Zoom call serves as his banner. Similarly, a business’ name, brand logo and colours serve as flags to the modern-day leaders.
• The greatest win is one where you don’t fight at all “To win 100 battles is not the height of skill, to subdue the enemy without fighting is” Wars of any kind and form are counterproductive. I think we’ll all agree to that. The best tacticians Sun Tzu believes are not the ones who defeat their opponents on the battlefield. But the ones who can manoeuvre a win through diplomacy, without fighting at all. This is perhaps the best piece of advice The Art of War offers. For businesses, governments, groups, or individuals. Winning through diplomacy and negotiation is a bigger victory than winning any conflict. One of the reasons why merging with an existing player in a new market is beneficial to businesses as opposed to entering it as a competitor.

Life is too short to spend it at war with yourself Ritu Ghatourey

Sun Tzu – The Artist behind The Art of War

A Chinese general, military strategist, writer, and a philosopher, Sun Tzu’s historicity is quite uncertain. And although he is revered as a legendary military figure and warfare tactician who has influenced military strategy in both Western and East Asian philosophies, a large part of his work focused on alternatives to battle, such as stratagem, the use of spies, making alliances and the use of deceit.

His work has over the years found more and more use in modern competitive endeavours, making Sun Tzu a common name among tacticians, strategists, business leaders, and even sports coaches. And although a lot of facts about his own life remain in the dark, perhaps even lost over the last 2500 years, one thing is certain. His legacy will not be forgotten any time soon.

The Last Word

Quite often when we think of war, we think of weapons, physical battles, destruction, and death. If our fortunes favour us, we may not have to witness such a war. But there are other battles, some hidden, and some in plain sight that we’re all fighting. Some by ourselves. Some as part of a group. The Art of War arms you for just that. Which is what makes this short book a highly recommended one even today. Especially today.

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Ronak Shetty

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