In war, I have heard of clumsy swiftness, but never seen clever delay.
兵は拙速を聞くも、未だ巧久を睹ざるなり。
Military Strategists
Sun Tzu
A 5th-century BCE Chinese military theorist whose treatise 'The Art of War' remains the most influential work on strategy ever written. His principles of deception, intelligence, and winning without fighting transcend warfare and have been adopted across business, diplomacy, and competitive strategy worldwide.
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Sun Tzu's Other Quotes
All warfare is based on deception.
In war there is no constant posture, as water has no constant form. He who can win by adapting to the enemy's changes may be called divine.
To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
Related Quotes
The die is cast.
-- Julius Caesar
I came, I saw, I conquered.
-- Julius Caesar
Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.
-- Bruce Lee
I may lose a battle, but I shall never lose a minute.
-- Napoleon
God is with us! (Gott mit uns)
-- Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.
-- Carl von Clausewitz