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All warfare is based on deception.
He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
He will win whose army is animated by the same
He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.
What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.
Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy.
“Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack.”
Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
if you wish to parade your weakness in order to make the enemy over-confident, you must have exceeding strength.”]
[One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.
“As a general rule, those who are waging war should get rid of all the domestic troubles before proceeding to attack the external foe.”]
To be near the goal while the enemy is still far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy is toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while the enemy is famished:—this is the art of husbanding one’s strength.
“The secret of getting successful work out of your trained men lies in one nutshell—in the clearness of the instructions they receive.”
The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach.
