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.

What discourages opponents from coming is the prospect of harm.

A leader leads by example, not by force.

A kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.

Engage people with what they expect, it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment that which they cannot anticipate.

To not prepare is the greatest of crimes; to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues.

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!

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first then seek to win.

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war,while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.