What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.

All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used. Offer the enemy bait to lure him.

Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources.

When your weapons are dulled and ardour damped, your strength exhausted and treasure spent, neighboring rulers will take advantage of your distress to act. And even though you have wise counsellors, none will be able to lay good plans for the future. Thus, while we have heard of blundering swiftness in war, we have not yet seen a clever operation that was prolonged.

If I am able to determine the enemy's dispositions while at the same time I conceal my own, then I can concentrate and he must divide.

The military has no constant form, just as water has no constant shape - adapt as you face the enemy, without letting them know beforehand what you are going to do.

We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground; (2) entangling ground; (3) temporising ground; (4) narrow passes; (5) precipitous heights; (6) positions at a great distance from the enemy.