Sun Tzu and The Art of War
Sun Who? Hundreds of years before the common era, there was a period in China known as the Age of Warring States (475–221 BCE). This was an age of great conflict and uncertainty as seven states fought for survival and control of China. For these states to win they pursued any means of gaining advantage over their opponents; knowledge of strategy and leadership was especially sought after. During this time a general from the state of Ch’i known as Sun Tzu is included in the historical records. His ability to win victories gained him respect and students who wanted to follow his way. To share the hard-won wisdom he had earned from his years of battles Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War, an essay that became a classic work of philosophy, not just for warriors but also for business and service careers in China and around the world.
Military action is important to the nation—it is the ground of death and life, the path of survival and destruction, so it is imperative to examine it.--Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Measure in terms of five things, use these assessments to make comparisons, and thus find out what the conditions are. The five things are the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and discipline.
Therefore use these assessments for comparison, to find out what the conditions are.
That is to say, which political leadership has the Way?
Which general has ability?
Who has the better climate and terrain?
Whose officers and soldiers are the better trained?
Whose system of rewards and punishment is clearer?
This is how you can know who will win.--Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Therefore use these assessments for comparison, to find out what the conditions are.
That is to say, which political leadership has the Way?
Which general has ability?
Who has the better climate and terrain?
Whose officers and soldiers are the better trained?
Whose system of rewards and punishment is clearer?
This is how you can know who will win.--Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Those who are not thoroughly aware of the disadvantages in the use of arms cannot be thoroughly aware of the advantages in the use of arms.--Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Those who win every battle are not really skillful—those who render others’ armies helpless without fighting are the best of all.--Sun Tzu, The Art of War
If you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one; if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.--Sun Tzu
The rules of the military are five: measurement, assessment, calculation, comparison, and victory.
The ground gives rise to measurements,
measurements give rise to assessments,
assessments give rise to calculations,
calculations give rise to comparisons,
comparisons give rise to victories.
--Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Logs and rocks are still when in a secure place, but roll on an incline; they remain stationary if square, they roll if round. Therefore, when people are skillfully led into battle, the momentum is like that of round rocks rolling down a high mountain—this is force.
When the speed of rushing water reaches the point where it can move boulders, this is the force of momentum. When the speed of a hawk is such that it can strike and kill, this is precision. So it is with skillful warriors—their force is swift, their precision is close. Their force is like drawing a catapult, their precision is like releasing the trigger.
--Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Preparedness on the left means lack on the right, preparedness on the right means lack on the left. Preparedness everywhere means lack everywhere.
So a military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape: the ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius.
So if you do not know the plans of your competitors, you cannot make informed alliances.
Do not stop an army on its way home.
A surrounded army must be given a way out.
Therefore the considerations of the intelligent always include both benefit and harm. As they consider benefit, their work can expand; as they consider harm, their troubles can be resolved.
In military matters it is not necessarily beneficial to have more strength, only to avoid acting aggressively; it is enough to consolidate your power, assess opponents, and get people, that is all.
Therefore direct them through cultural arts, unify them through martial arts; this means certain victory.
The business of the general is quiet and secret, fair and orderly.
To assemble armies and put them into dangerous situations is the business of generals. Adaptations to different grounds, advantages of contraction and expansion, patterns of human feelings and conditions—these must be examined.
A government should not mobilize an army out of anger, military leaders should not provoke war out of wrath.
Act when it is beneficial, desist if it is not.
Anger can revert to joy, wrath can revert to delight, but a nation destroyed cannot be restored to existence, and the dead cannot be restored to life.
Therefore an enlightened government is careful about this, a good military leadership is alert to this.
This is the way to secure a nation and keep the armed forces whole.
--Sun Tzu, The Art of War
A major military operation is a severe drain on the nation, and may be kept up for years in the struggle for one day’s victory. So to fail to know the conditions of opponents because of reluctance to give rewards for intelligence is extremely inhumane, uncharacteristic of a true military leader, uncharacteristic of an assistant of the government, uncharacteristic of a victorious chief.
So what enables an intelligent government and a wise military leadership to overcome others and achieve extraordinary accomplishments is foreknowledge. 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 enemy.
One cannot use spies without sagacity and knowledge, one cannot use spies without humanity and justice, one cannot get the truth from spies without subtlety. This is a very delicate matter indeed. Spies are useful everywhere.