Having doomed spies, doing certain things openly for purposes of deception, and allowing our own spies to know of them and report them to the enemy.

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, the men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardour will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.

These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail.

Numerical weakness comes from having to prepare against possible attacks; numerical strength, from compelling our adversary to make these preparations against us.

Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought.

To ensure that your whole host may withstand the brunt of the enemy’s attack and remain unshaken—this is effected by manœuvers direct and indirect.

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.

What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.

Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.