“Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.”
More from Sun Tzu on Wisdom
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
“He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”
“Be where your enemy is not.”
“When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away...”
“Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.”
“the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
“Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.”
“Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.”
“He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.”
“Balk the enemy's power force him to reveal himself.”
Others on Wisdom
Dalai Lama
22 quotes“Compassion is the radicalism of our time.”
Cervantes
20 quotes“A closed mouth catches no flies.”
Aesop
19 quotes“Little by little does the trick.”
Confucius
19 quotes“The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man perfected without trials.”
Ben Franklin
18 quotes“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.”
Napoleon
16 quotes“Ability is of little account without opportunity.”
Cicero
15 quotes“Great is the power of habit. It teaches us to bear fatigue and to despise wounds and pain.”
George Washington
14 quotes“Let your Discourse with Men of Business be Short and Comprehensive.”
Rudyard Kipling
14 quotes“I keep six honest serving men. (They taught me all I know) Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and...”
Khalil Gibran
14 quotes“Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge.”
William Penn
14 quotes“Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man.”
George R.R. Martin
14 quotes“This was how an enemy should be dealt with: with a dagger, not a declaration.”