Know thy self, know thy enemy.

Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise, for the result is waste of time and general stagnation.

Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.

If soldiers are punished before they have grown attached to you, they will not prove submissive; and, unless submissive, then will be practically useless. If, when the soldiers have become attached to you, punishments are not enforced, they will still be unless.

Generally in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this.

The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage and does not demand it from his men.

Unless you know the mountains and the forests, the defiles and impasses, the lay of the marshes and swamps, you cannot maneuver with an armed force. Unless you use local guides, you cannot get the advantages of the land.