In making tactical dispositions, the highest pitch you can attain is to conceal them.

He who is not sage and wise, humane and just, cannot use secret agent.s. And he who is not delicate and subtle cannot get the truth out of them.

In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack.. the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.

Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.

Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.

Swift as the wind. Quiet as the forest. Conquer like the fire. Steady as the mountain

One who has few must prepare against the enemy; one who has many makes the enemy prepare against him.