Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.
Sun TzuRead
Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True mastery is achieving victory without direct conflict.
This quote by Sun Tzu suggests that the highest form of success in conflict is not to engage in battle, but to overcome the adversary's resolve or willpower. It emphasizes strategy, intelligence, and psychological warfare over brute force.
Themes
StrategyConflictMasteryVictoryWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
In a business negotiation, applying this principle can lead to winning concessions from the other party without ever having to argue.
More from Sun Tzu
All quotes →Great 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
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