Sun Tzu - The Art of War

[plantyhamchuk]

"No nation has ever benefited
From a protracted war."

"If he [the enemy] is angry,
Disconcert him."

"If his men are harmonious,
Split them."

"The killing of an enemy
Stems from
Wrath;
The fighting for booty
Stems from
A desire for reward."

Treat prisoners of war kindly,
And are for them.
Use victory over the enemy
To enhance your own strength."

III
"In War,
Better take
A state
Intact
Than to destroy it.

Better take
An army,
A regiment,
A detachment,
A company,
Intact
Than destroy them.

Ultimate excellence lies
Noy in winning
Every battle
But in defeating the enemy
Without ever fighting.
The highest form of warfare
Is to attack
Strategy itself;

The next,
To attack
Alliances;

The next,
To attack
Armies;

The lowest form of war is
To attack
Cities.
Siege warfare
Is a last resort."

"The general who cannot
Master his anger
Orders his troops out
Like ants,
Sending one in three
To their deaths,
Without taking the city.
This is the calamity
Of siege warfare."

"There are Five Essentials
For victory:

Know when to fight
And when not to fight;

Understand how to deploy
Large and small
Numbers;

Have offiucers and men who
Share a single will;

Be ready
For the unexpected;

Have a capable general,
Unhampered by his sovereign.

These five
Point the way to
Victory.

Hence the saying
'Know the enemy,
Know yourself,
And victory
Is never in doubt,
Not in a hundred battles.'

He who knows self
but not the enemy
Will suffer one defeat
For every victory.

He who knows
Neither self
Nor enemy
Will fail
In every battle."

[Wu jia]
There are but
Five notes,
And yet their permutations
Are more
Than can ever be heard.

There are but
Five colors,
And yet their permutations
Are more
Than can ever be seen.

There are but
Five flavours,
And yet their permutations
Are more
Than can ever be tasted.

"Disorder is founded
On Order;
Fear,
On courage;
Weakness,
On strength.

Orderly disorder
Is based on
Careful division;
Courageous fear,
On potential energy;
Strong weakness,
On troop dispositions."

"A whole fighting force
Can be robbed
Of its spirit;
A general
Can be robbed
Of his presence of mind.

The soldier's spirit
Is keenest
In the morning;
By noon
It has dulled;
By evening
He has begun
To think of home.

The Skillful Warrior
Avoids the keen spirit,
Attacks the dull
And the homesick;
This is
Mastery of Spirit.

He confronts chaos
With discipline;
He treats tumult
With calm.
This is
Mastery of Mind.

He meeets distance
With closeness;
He meets exhaustion
With ease;
He meets hunger
With plenty;
This is
Mastery of Strength.

He does not intercept
Well-ordered banners;
He does not attack
A perfect formation.
This is
Mastery of Change.

These are xioms
Of the Art of War:
Do not advance uphill.
Do not oppose an enemy
With his back to a hill.
Do not pursue an enemy
Feingin flight.
Do not attack
Keen troops.
Do not swallow
A bait.
Do not thwart
A returning army.

Leave a passage
For a besieged army.

Do not press
An enemy at bay.

This is
The Art of War."

"Birds gather
On empty ground."

"If a general is by turns
tyrannical
And in terror
Of his own men,
It is a sign of
Supreme incompetence."

"To the question
'How should we confront
An enemy,
Numerous and well arrayed,
Poised to attack?'
My reply is
'Seize something
He cherishes,
And he will do your will.'"

"Never move
Except for gain;
Never deploy
Except for victory;
Never fight
Except in a crisis."