Sun Tzu Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old Sun Tzu quotes, Sun Tzu sayings, and Sun Tzu proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.'

Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer. Sun Tzu
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. Sun Tzu
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
For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. Sun Tzu
If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. Sun Tzu
Of old the expert in battle would first make himself invincible and then wait for his enemy to expose his vulnerability. Sun Tzu
The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. Sun Tzu
Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm Sun Tzu
Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory. Sun Tzu
Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance. Sun Tzu
Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting. Sun Tzu
If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near. Sun Tzu
Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster. Sun Tzu
Energy may be likened to the bending of a cross bow; decision, to the releasing of the trigger. Sun Tzu
Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength. Sun Tzu
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win. Sun Tzu
The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming. Sun Tzu
If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity. Sun Tzu
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. Sun Tzu
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! Sun Tzu
You have to believe in yourself. Sun Tzu
Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men. Sun Tzu
If our soldiers are not overburdened with money, it is not because they have a distaste for riches; if their lives are not unduly long, it is not because they are disinclined to longevity. Sun Tzu
Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home. Sun Tzu
The art of giving orders is not to try to rectify the minor blunders and not to be swayed by petty doubts. Sun Tzu
A leader leads by example, not by force. Sun Tzu
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities…It is best to win without fighting. Sun Tzu
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win. Sun Tzu
Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men. Sun Tzu
To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. Sun Tzu