There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefitted.

Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack.

Where the army is, prices are high; when prices rise the wealth of the people is exhausted.

Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all.

The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.

He must be able to mystify his officers and men by false reports and appearances, and thus keep them in total ignorance.