A sovereign of high character and intelligence must be able to know the right man, should place the responsibility on him, and expect results.

Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy

If the enemy opens the door, you must race in.

Whoever is the first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy will be fresh for the fight... Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy... By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.

Apparent confusion is a product of good order; apparent cowardice, of courage; apparent weakness, of strength.

Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.

There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune on his army: By commanding the army to advance or to retreat, being ignorant of the fact that it cannot obey. This is called hobbling the army. By attempting to govern an army in the same way as he administers a kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier's minds. By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.