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

Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look upon them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death.

Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow.

Weak leadership can wreck the soundest strategy

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.

What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike and conquer, and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.