Should the enemy strengthen his van, he will weaken his rear; should he strengthen his rear, he will weaken his van; should he strengthen his left, he will weaken his right; should he strengthen his right, he will weaken his left. If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.

Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports.

Other conditions being equal, if one force is hurled against another ten times its size, the result will be the flight of the former.

There has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefitted.

Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.

If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.

The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.