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Each man practices as he feels inclined. It is said the warrior’s is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways.
The carpenter uses a master plan of the building, and the Way of Strategy is similar in that there is a plan of campaign.
If the foreman knows and deploys his men well the finished work will be good. The foreman should take into account the abilities and limitations of his men, circulating among them and asking nothing unreasonable. He should know their morale and spirit, and encourage them
The carpenter’s attainment is, having tools which will cut well, to make small shrines, writing shelves, tables, paper lanterns, chopping boards and pot-lids. These
You must do sufficient research.
The essence of this book is that you must train day and night in order to make quick decisions.
In strategy it is necessary to treat training as part of normal life with your spirit unchanging.
It will seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first. Bows
You should not have a favourite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well. You should not copy others, but use weapons which you can handle properly. It is bad for commanders and troopers to have likes and dislikes. These are things you must learn thoroughly.
Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. Even when your spirit is calm do not let your body relax, and when your body is relaxed do not let your spirit slacken. Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit. Be neither insufficiently spirited nor over spirited. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit.
Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.
Even if you kill an enemy, if it is not based on what you have learned it is not the true Way.
Everything can collapse. Houses, bodies, and enemies collapse when their rhythm becomes deranged.
“To become the enemy” means to think yourself in the enemy’s position.
