Quickness is the essence of the war.

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

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

To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

Now a soldier's spirit is keenest in the morning; by noonday it has begun to flag; and in the evening, his mind is only on returning to camp.

It is the business of a general to be serene and inscrutable, impartial and self-controlled.

If a general shows confidence in his men but always insists on his orders being obeyed, the gain will be mutual.