No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.

There is no place where espionage is not possible.

If the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.

What is of the greatest importance in war is extraordinary speed: One cannot afford to neglect opportunity.

Ponder and deliberate before you make your move. He will conquer who has learned the artifice of deviation. Such is the art of maneuvering.

When the thunderclap comes, there is no time to cover the ears.

It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see the outward aspects, none understands the way in which I have created victory.