When you know both yourself as well as your competition, you are never in danger. To know yourself and not others, gives you half a chance of winning. Knowing neither yourself or your competition puts you in a position to lose.

The true objective of war is peace.

The art of giving orders is not to try to rectify the minor blunders and not be swayed by petty doubts.

When orders are consistently trustworthy and observed, the relationship of a commander with his troops is satisfactory.

Against those skilled in attack, an enemy does not know where to defend; against the experts in defense, the enemy does not know where to attack.

As water shapes its flow in accordance with the ground, so an army manages its victory in accordance with the situation of the enemy.

In all history, there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare. Only one who knows the disastrous effects of a long war can realize the supreme importance of rapidity in bringing it to a close.