If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attached to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be unless.

The skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting.

He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.

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

When you know both yourself as well as your competition, you are never in danger. To know yourself and not others, gives you half a chance of winning. Knowing neither yourself or your competition puts you in a position to lose.

No nation has ever benefited from a prolonged war.