Sun Tzu— one of those figures whose wisdom feels like it was forged in the heat of battle and yet applies perfectly to the challenges of everyday life.
Born over 2,500 years ago, this ancient Chinese military strategist penned the art of war, a masterpiece of tactical genius that’s still quoted in boardrooms, sports fields, and even personal growth workshops today.
What makes Sun Tzu so fascinating is how his words transcend eras. His teachings weren’t just about swords and shields— they delved into understanding human nature, planning ahead and mastering the art of timing.
In this article, you’ll be getting 100+ Sun Tzu quotes, ones that challenge your perspective and fuel your ambition.
Sun Tzu quotes
Discover the legendary philosopher Sun Tzu strategist’s thoughts on planning, winning, and staying ahead in life.
1. “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” —Sun Tzu
2. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” —Sun Tzu
3. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
4. “Pretend to be weak, let others underestimate you, then surprise them with a smart, unexpected move when the time is right. Success comes from thinking ahead and adapting wisely.” —Sun Tzu
5. “Know yourself and you will win all battles.”
6. “Sometimes we need to lose the small battles in order to win the war.” —Sun Tzu
7. “Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.”
8. “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be in peril.” —Sun Tzu
9. “Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” —Sun Tzu
10. “The wise warrior avoids the battle.” —Sun Tzu
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Art of War Sun Tzu
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11. “To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.” —Sun Tzu
12. “Do not engage an enemy more powerful than you. And if it is unavoidable and you do have to engage, then make sure you engage it on your terms, not on your enemy’s terms.”
13. “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” —Sun Tzu
14. “He who only sees the obvious wins his battles with difficulty; he who looks below the surface of things, wins with ease.” —The Art Of War
15. “All warfare is based on deception.” —The Art Of War
16. “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” —The Art Of War
17. “Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.” —The Art Of War
18. “In the mindset of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
19. “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” —Sun Tzu
20. “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.” —Sun Tzu
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21. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
22. “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” —Sun Tzu
23. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” —Sun Tzu
24. “The worst calamities that befall an army arise from hesitation.” —The Art Of War
25. “The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.”
26. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
27. “Sweat more during peace; bleed less during war.” —The Art Of War
28. “Know yourself and you will win all battles.” —The Art Of War
29. “He who advances without seeking fame, who retreats without escaping blame, he whose aim is to protect his people and serve his lord, the man is a jewel of the realm.” —The Art Of War
30. “When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”
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31. “Whoever is first in the field, and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.” —Sun Tzu
32. “Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him.”
33. “To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
34. “Move swiftly as the wind and closely formed as the wood. Attack like the fire and be still as the mountain.” —Sun Tzu
35. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”
36. “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.”
37. “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” —Sun Tzu
38. “A leader leads by example not by force.”
39. “Know the self, know the enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.”
40. “He who knows where he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.”
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Quotes the Art of war Sun Tzu
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41. “If he is taking his ease give him nor rest.” —Sun Tzu
42. “If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.”
43. “Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.”
44. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” —Sun Tzu
45. “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.”
46. “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”
47. “He who relies solely on warlike measures shall be exterminated; he who relies solely on peaceful measures shall perish.” —Sun Tzu
48. “Can you imagine what i would do if i could do all i can?”
49. “Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.”
50. “It is more important to outthink your enemy than to outfight him.”
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51. “He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.” —Sun Tzu
52. “When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away.”
53. “It is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence if the army for the purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results.” —Sun Tzu
54. “To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
55. “Move only if there is a real advantage to be gained.”
56. “Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness, be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness.” —Sun Tzu
57. “Sweat more during peace; bleed less during war.”
58. “It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.”
59. “It is best to keep one’s own state intact; to crush the enemy’s state is only second best.”
60. “The wise warrior avoids the battle.” —Sun Tzu
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The Art of War quotes by Sun Tzu
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61. “Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.”
62. “Knowledge of the enemy’s dispositions can only be obtained from other men.”
63. “Mystify, mislead and surprise the enemy.” —Sun Tzu
64. “Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.”
65. “Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.”
66. “Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.”
67. “Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win.” —Sun Tzu
68. “Every battle is won before it’s ever fought.”
69. “Quickness is the essence of the war.”
70. “All warfare is based on deception.”
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71. “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” —Sun Tzu
72. “When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.” —Sun Tzu
73. “The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.”
74. “The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.” —Sun Tzu
75. “There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.” —Sun Tzu
76. “If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.” —Sun Tzu
77. “A leader leads by example, not by force.”
78. “Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.” —Sun Tzu
79. “Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest.” —Sun Tzu
80. “The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.” —Sun Tzu
Famous Sun Tzu quotes
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81. “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” —Sun Tzu
82. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” —Sun Tzu
83. “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
84. “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” —Sun Tzu
85. “The skillful leader subdues the enemy’s troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field.” —Sun Tzu
86. “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
87. “Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate.” —Sun Tzu
88. “Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.” —Sun Tzu
89. “When strong, avoid them. If of high morale, depress them.”
90. “He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.” —Sun Tzu
Best Sun Tzu quotes
From work struggles to life’s big decisions, these famous Sun Tzu quotes are his wisdom provides clarity and direction.
91. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
92. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” —Sun Tzu
93. “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” —Sun Tzu
94. “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
95. “All warfare is based on deception.” —Sun Tzu
96. “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
97. “If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him.” —Sun Tzu
98. “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” —Sun Tzu
99. “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 kingdom.”
100. “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” —Sun Tzu
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best Sun Tzu quote?
One of the most famous and impactful quotes attributed to Sun Tzu is:
- “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
What is the most famous line in The Art of War?
One of the most famous lines from “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu is:
- “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.”
Why is Sun Tzu so famous?
Sun Tzu is renowned for his enduring masterpiece “The Art of War,” celebrated for its timeless wisdom in military strategy and beyond.
His profound insights into leadership, strategy, and human psychology have made his work indispensable not only in military circles but also in fields such as business, politics, and personal development.
The practical and actionable principles he espouses, combined with his literary elegance, have ensured his lasting influence across centuries, shaping the thinking of scholars, military leaders, and strategists worldwide.
Conclusion
Sun Tzu’s wisdom is timeless, resonating with people in all walks of life—from military strategists to modern-day thinkers.
As we wrap up with these Sun Tzu Art of War quotes—his legacy is a reminder that true strength lies not just in action, but in understanding, preparation, and precision.
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