In war, numbers alone confer no advantage. Do not advance relying on sheer military power.

They [spies] cannot be properly managed without benevolence and straightforwardness.

Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuvering for advantageous positions.

Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.

Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.

If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.

Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow...they have form but are formless. They are skilled in both planning and adapting and need not fear the result of a thousand battles: for they win in advance, defeating those that have already lost.