Those who excel in war first cultivate their own humanity and and maintain their laws and institutions. By these means they make their governments invincible.

It is through the dispositions of an army that its condition may be discovered. Conceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory,; show your dispositions, and your condition will become patent, which leads to defeat.

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.

Concentrate your energy and hoard your strength.

Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.

And therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him.

It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him; if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two.