From a position of this sort, if the enemy is unprepared, you may sally forth and defeat him. But if the enemy is prepared for your coming, and you fail to defeat him, then, return being impossible, disaster will ensue.

If their forces are substantial, prepare for them; if their forces are strong, avoid them.

Like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.

If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight.

What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

It is the rule in war, if ten times the enemy's strength, surround them; if five times, attack them; if double, be able to divide them; if equal, engage them; if fewer, defend against them; if weaker, be able to avoid them.

By altering his arrangements and changing his plans, the skillful general keeps the enemy without definite knowledge. By shifting his camp and taking circuitous routes, he prevents the enemy from anticipating his purpose. At the critical moment, the leader of an army acts like one who has climbed up a height and then kicks away the ladder behind him.