Learning to write is merely enough to record one's name. The sword defeats but a single foe and is not worth mastering. I shall study the art of defeating ten thousand.
書足以記名姓而已。剣一人敵、不足学。学万人敵。
Military Strategists
Xiang Yu
The 'Hegemon-King of Western Chu' whose raw military genius made him the most feared commander of ancient China's civil wars (232-202 BCE). Xiang Yu won every battle but lost the war — his career is history's definitive case study in how tactical brilliance without political strategy leads to ultimate defeat.
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Xiang Yu's Other Quotes
Related Quotes
Youth on horseback has passed. The world is at peace and white hairs multiply. With what remains of life that heaven permits, how can I not enjoy it?
-- Date Masamune
After victory, tighten the cords of your helmet.
-- Kuroda Yoshitaka
Wisdom that comes only after hearing others' opinions is not true wisdom.
-- Toyotomi Hideyoshi
People are the castle, people are the walls, people are the moat. Compassion makes allies; cruelty makes enemies.
-- Takeda Shingen
Without first establishing internal governance, there can be no external campaigns.
-- Ōkubo Toshimichi
A man who wants neither life, nor fame, nor rank, nor money — such a man is the hardest to deal with.
-- Saigō Takamori