As water shapes its flow in accordance with the ground, so an army manages its victory in accordance with the situation of the enemy.

What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.

Know thy enemy and know thy self and you will win a hundred battles.

For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.

If, however, you are indulgent, but unable to make your authority felt; kind-hearted, but unable to enforce your commands; and incapable, moreover, of quelling disorder: then your soldiers must be likened to spoilt children; they are useless for any practical purpose.

Therefore, to estimate the enemy situation and to calculate distances and the degree of difficulty of the terrain so as to control victory are virtues of the superior general.

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.