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.

Therefore a victorious army first wins and then seeks battle; a defeated army first battles and then seeks victory.

Keep their friends close and their enemies closer.

We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors. We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country.

Order or disorder depends on organisation and direction; courage or cowardice on circumstances; strength or weakness on tactical dispositions.

The best general is the one who never fights.

Without harmony in the State, no military expedition can be undertaken; without harmony in the army, no battle array can be formed.