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

Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.

What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

If quick, I survive. If not quick, I am lost. This is death.

He who wishes to fight must first count the cost. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be dampened. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.

So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.

Thus, though I have heard of successful military operations that were clumsy but swift, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.