Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.

There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.

Know the enemy and know yourself.

What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.

From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensue.

Rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him

Fighting with a large army under your command is nowise different from fighting with a small one: it is merely a question of instituting signs and signals.