“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
Author detail
孙武（前545年—前470年或前496年）妫姓，孙氏，名武，字长卿，春秋时期齐国人，陈胡公的直系后代，著名军事家、政治家，兵家代表人物。兵书《孙子兵法》的作者，后人尊称为孙子、兵圣、东方兵圣。
Quotes
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“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”
“The supreme excellence is not to win a hundred victories in a hundred battles. The supreme excellence is to subdue the armies of your enemies without even having to fight them.”
“But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life.”
“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combina...”
“The wise warrior avoids the battle.”
“Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.”
“Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy, cannot be found out by calculation. It must be obtained from people, people who know the conditions of the e...”
“One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful, subduing the other's military without battle is the most skillful.”
“Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
“You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked.”
“The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglecte...”
“Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge.”
“The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the...”
“Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.”
“Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more c...”
“It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recr...”
“He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.”
“Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for vict...”