A Book of Five Rings

by Miyamoto Musashi

To become the enemy ‘To become the enemy’ means to think yourself into the enemy’s position. In the world people tend to think of a robber trapped in a house as a fortified enemy. However, if we think of ‘becoming the enemy’, we feel that the whole world is against us and that there is no escape. He who is shut inside is a pheasant. He who enters to arrest is a hawk. You must appreciate this. In large-scale strategy, people are always under the impression that the enemy is strong, and so tend to become cautious. But if you have good soldiers, and if you understand the principles of strategy, and if you know how to beat the enemy, there is nothing to worry about. In single combat also you must put yourself in the enemy’s position. If you think, ‘Here is a master of the Way, who knows the principles of strategy’, then you will surely lose. You must consider this deeply.