Weigh the situation, then move.
What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.
Know the enemy and know yourself.
The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.
To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable. The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy.
When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination. When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is collapse.