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

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

There are routes not to be followed, armies not to be attacked, citadels not to be besieged, territory not to be fought over.

To maintain an army at a distance causes the people to be impoverished.

Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.

If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak. If the banners and flags are shifted about, sedition is afoot. If the officers are angry, it means that the men are weary.

The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose.