Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.

When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal.

And regulation entails organizational effectiveness, a chain of command, and a structure for logistical support.

Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night.

Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.

In warfare, first lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle; if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brute strength alone, victory will no longer be assured.

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.