Therefore I say: know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are certain in every battle to be in peril.
Sun TzuA kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.
Sun TzuThe good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
Sun TzuTherefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.
Sun TzuBy altering his arrangements and changing his plans, the skillful general keeps the enemy without definite knowledge. By shifting his camp and taking circuitous routes, he prevents the enemy from anticipating his purpose. At the critical moment, the leader of an army acts like one who has climbed up a height and then kicks away the ladder behind him.
Sun Tzu