In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good.

Hiding order beneath the cloak of disorder is simply a question of subdivision; concealing courage under a show of timidity presupposes a fund of latent energy; masking strength with weakness is to be effected by tactical dispositions.

Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.

Unless you enter the tiger's lair, you cannot get hold of the tiger's cub's.

For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards.

Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory.

The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.