50 Amazing Sun Tzu Quotes
Last updated on April 5th, 2022 at 08:56 am
Sun Tzu was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist, writer, and philosopher that flourished in the 5th century BC. He wrote an ancient book about military strategy entitled “Binfa” or “The Art of War” that left an impact on both Western and Asian philosophy and military thinking. It is one of the most quoted ancient books across the world.
Sun Tzu Quotes
“Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Set the troops to their tasks without imparting your designs.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (ed. Wordsworth Editions, 1997) – ISBN: 9781853267796
“Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant indicate a plot.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.”
SUN TZU Quotes, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business.”
SUN TZU Quotes, Sun Tzu Art of War (ed. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2012) – ISBN: 9789381411582
“The King is only fond of words, and cannot translate them into deeds.”
SUN TZU Quotes, The Art of War (ed. Courier Corporation, 2002) – ISBN: 9780486425573
“In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.”
SUN TZU, The Complete Art of War (ed. Simon and Schuster, 2013) – ISBN: 9781627931502
“He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“To maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu Art of War (ed. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2012) – ISBN: 9789381411582
“As water has no constant form, there are in war no constant conditions.”
SUN TZU Quotes, The Art of War (ed. Wordsworth Editions, 1997) – ISBN: 9781853267796
“What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy’s strategy.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (ed. Wordsworth Editions, 1997) – ISBN: 9781853267796
“Spies cannot be usefully employed without a certain intuitive sagacity.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu Art of War (ed. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2012) – ISBN: 9789381411582
“Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefitted.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (ed. Wordsworth Editions, 1997) – ISBN: 9781853267796
“Knowledge of the enemy’s dispositions can only be obtained from other men.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu Art of War (ed. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2012) – ISBN: 9789381411582
“So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.”
SUN TZU, The art of war (ed. Shambhala Pubns, 1991) – ISBN: 9780877735373
“Unless you enter the tiger’s lair, you cannot get hold of the tiger’s cub’s.”
SUN TZU, The art of war: English edition (ed. MVR, 1964)
“Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu Art of War (ed. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2012) – ISBN: 9789381411582
“One defends when his strength is inadequate, he attacks when it is abundant.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (ed. Wordsworth Editions, 1997) – ISBN: 9781853267796
“If you follow the enemy’s shifts and changes, you can always find a way to win.”
SUN TZU, The Ancient Bing-fa Martial Arts Strategy: The Science of Personal Power (ed. Science of Strategy, 2006) – ISBN: 9781929194384
“Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.”
SUN TZU Quotes, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Subjugating the enemy’s army without fighting is the true pinnacle of excellence.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (ed. Hachette UK, 1994) – ISBN: 9780465013272
“He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“When the soldiers stand leaning on their spears, they are faint from want of food.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (The Classic Lionel Giles Translation) (ed. e-artnow, 2012) – ISBN: 9788074844553
“In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them.”
SUN TZU Quotes, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu Art of War (ed. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2012) – ISBN: 9789381411582
“Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Maneuvering with an army is advantageous; with an undisciplined multitude, most dangerous.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“Generally in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (ed. Wordsworth Editions, 1997) – ISBN: 9781853267796
“Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu Art of War (ed. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2012) – ISBN: 9789381411582
“Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy’s army without battle…. They conquer by strategy.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (ed. Wordsworth Editions, 1997) – ISBN: 9781853267796
“Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.”
SUN TZU Quotes, Sun Tzu Art of War (ed. Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2012) – ISBN: 9789381411582
“Spies are a most important element in water, because on them depends an army’s ability to move.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (The Classic Lionel Giles Translation) (ed. e-artnow, 2012) – ISBN: 9788074844553
“To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.”
SUN TZU, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text (ed. Tuttle Publishing, 2012) – ISBN: 9781462905126
“If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.”
SUN TZU, The Art of War (ed. Wordsworth Editions, 1997) – ISBN: 9781853267796
If you liked reading these 50 Amazing Sun Tzu Quotes, you should also check out 36 Famous & Inspirational Quotes by Bruce Lee!
Some Interesting Facts About Sun Tzu!
- Sun Tzu’s original name was Sun Wu, and he was also called Changqing. The meaning of his name is “Master Sun”.
- He was an advisor to the warlord of state Wu and helped defeat their powerful opponent of state Chu.
- Vo Nguyen Giap, a general in Ho Chi Minh’s kingdom, was a practitioner of Sun Tzu’s ideas. American generals like Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. and Colin Powell followed Sun Tzu’s principles mentioned in The Art of War during the Gulf War.
- Marine Corps Professional Reading Program has mentioned The Art of War in their list.
- A 40 episode historical drama television series titled Bing Sheng is based on Sun Tzu’s life, directed by Zhang Jizhong in 2008.
- The great historian Sima Qian wrote that Sun Tzu never lost a single battle, war or campaign in his nearly 40-years journey as a general.
I hope you enjoyed reading these facts about Sun Tzu, let us know in the comments section below. You can also check out these 11 Interesting William The Conqueror Facts You Won’t Learn In School!
Sun Tzu is one of the most mis-quoted books you’ll find on any shelf. People all over the place who have never read it just make up fortune cookie stuff.
https://shibumimanagementcanada.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/invented-sun-tzu-art-of-war-quotes/
Hope you liked the quotes!