In all history, there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. Only one who knows the disastrous effects of a long war can realize the supreme importance of rapidity in bringing it to a close.

One who has few must prepare against the enemy; one who has many makes the enemy prepare against him.

Without local guides, your enemy employs the land as a weapon against you.

Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.

Do not press an enemy at bay.

You can prevent your opponent from defeating you through defense, but you cannot defeat him without taking the offensive.

Hostile armies may face each other for years, striving for the victory which is decided in a single day. This being so, to remain in ignorance of the enemy's condition simply because one grudges the outlay of a hundred ounces of silver in honors and emoluments, is the height of inhumanity.