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.

When torrential water tosses boulders, it is because of its momentum. When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey, it is because of timing.

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

Agitate him and ascertain the pattern of his movement.

Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.

The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming.