A warrior who is prepared to fight must also be prepared to die.

To ... not prepare is the greatest of crimes; to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues.

To persuade your enemy to (retreat) before the fight is to defeat them even before the battle begins. An enemy made ally is no longer an enemy.

When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.

The natural formation of the country is the soldier's best ally; but a power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers and distances, constitutes the test of a great general.

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

He who relies solely on warlike measures shall be exterminated; he who relies solely on peaceful measures shall perish.