Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.
Sun TzuRead
If we wish to fight, the enemy can be forced to an engagement even though he be sheltered behind a high rampart and a deep ditch. All we need do is attack some other place that he will be obliged to relieve.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that effective strategy can compel an opponent to act in ways that may expose their weaknesses.
Sun Tzu's quote emphasizes the importance of strategy in warfare, highlighting that a skilled planner can manipulate their enemy's actions. By creating threats or distractions elsewhere, one can force the enemy to abandon their secure positions, thus gaining an advantage despite the obstacles in place.
Themes
StrategyWarfareTacticsEnemyEngagement
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in military strategy seminars to highlight the importance of diversions.
More from Sun Tzu
All quotes βGreat results, can be achieved with small forces.
Sun TzuRead
To capture an enemies army is better than to destroy it.
Sun TzuRead
The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.
Sun TzuRead
You can ensure the success of your attacks if you only attack places that are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked. Therefore, that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
Sun TzuRead
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
Sun TzuRead
Similar quotes
The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you're trying to accomplish.
Michael PorterRead
It's true that in chess as in politics, fund-raising and glad-handing matter.
Garry KasparovRead
Deliberate tactical errors and minor losses are the means by which to bait the enemy.
Sun BinRead
Designing and implementing a strategy for change is a waste of time until you have discovered and embraced the current reality. If you don't know where you really are, it is impossible to get where you need to be.
Andy StanleyRead
Only a few businesses will succeed by having the lowest price, so most will need a strategy that includes customer services.
Bill GatesRead
As a multisport athlete, I was always fascinated with competition and how to win. At HBS and later at the Harvard Department of Economics, I was drawn to the field of competition and strategy because it tackles perhaps the most basic question in both business management and industrial economics: What determines corporate performance?
Michael PorterRead