I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me.
対酒当歌、人生幾何。譬如朝露、去日苦多。
Military Strategists
Cao Cao
The dominant warlord of China's Three Kingdoms era (155-220 CE), who unified the war-torn north through military genius, political cunning, and meritocratic talent recruitment. Equally accomplished as a poet and administrator, Cao Cao embodies the archetype of the complete leader — strategist, statesman, and artist in one.
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Cao Cao's Other Quotes
Related Quotes
This man might be the one to seize the realm.
-- Kuroda Yoshitaka
Fortune lies in heaven. Armor lies in the heart. Achievement lies in the legs.
-- Uesugi Kenshin
In this uncertain world, we cannot know what tomorrow brings.
-- Sanada Yukimura
If the cuckoo will not sing, I shall make it want to sing.
-- Toyotomi Hideyoshi
In war, a victory of sixty percent is the best. Total victory breeds complacency.
-- Takeda Shingen
Life is like unto a long journey with a heavy burden. Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not.
-- Tokugawa Ieyasu