A leader leads by example not by force.

Whoever is the first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy will be fresh for the fight... Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy... By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.

Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

The nature of war is constant change.

When envoys are sent with compliments in their mouths, it is a sign that the enemy wishes for a truce.

If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.

A kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.