Unless you enter the tiger's lair, you cannot get hold of the tiger's cub's.

If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.

Being unconquerable lies with yourself; being conquerable lies with your enemy.

To persuade your enemy to (retreat) before the fight is to defeat them even before the battle begins. An enemy made ally is no longer an enemy.

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

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

When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if round-shaped to go rolling down.