It is ten thousand times cheaper to pay the best spies lavishly than even a tiny army poorly.

He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.

There is an intelligent way to eat a live frog - I just don't know what it is.

When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.

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.

You cannot know if you will be successful or not. You can only prepare for battle and it must be done with all of your heart and with all of your consciousness. In that manner, you will have an edge.

The proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause people's substance to be drained away. When their substance is drained away, they will be afflicted by heavy exactions. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and their incomes dissipated.