Without local guides, your enemy employs the land as a weapon against you.

Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm

If I am able to determine the enemy's dispositions while at the same time I conceal my own, then I can concentrate and he must divide.

If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near.

If asked how to cope with a great host of the enemy in orderly array and on the point of marching to the attack, I should say: "Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will." Rapidity is the essence of war: take advantage of the enemy's unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots.

Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious.

Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy; forceful execution of even a poor plan can often bring victory.