The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.

Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.

There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.

So there are five ways of knowing who will win. Those who know when to fight and when not to fight are victorious. Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle

One mark of a great soldier is that he fight on his own terms or fights not at all.

It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.