When the higher officers are angry and insubordinate, and on meeting the enemy give battle on their own account from a feeling of resentment, before the commander-in-chief can tell whether or not he is in a position to fight, the result is ruin.

All wars are won or lost before they are ever fought.

Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling.

If you are situated at a great distance from the enemy, and the strength of the two armies is equal, it is not easy to provoke a battle, and fighting will be to your disadvantage.

Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.

He who is not sage and wise, humane and just, cannot use secret agent.s. And he who is not delicate and subtle cannot get the truth out of them.

So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence.