54 CHAPTER 1 · STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT ESSENTIALS

TABLE 1-3 Excerpts from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War Writings
· War is a matter of vital importance to the state: a matter of life or death, the road either to survival
or ruin. Hence, it is imperative that it be studied thoroughly.
· Warfare is based on deception. When near the enemy, make it seem that you are far away; when far
away, make it seem that you are near. Hold out baits to lure the enemy. Strike the enemy when he
is in disorder. Avoid the enemy when he is stronger. If your opponent is of choleric temper, try to
irritate him. If he is arrogant, try to encourage his egotism. If enemy troops are well prepared after
reorganization, try to wear them down. If they are united, try to sow dissension among them. Attack
the enemy where he is unprepared, and appear where you are not expected. These are the keys to
victory for a strategist. It is not possible to formulate them in detail beforehand.
· A speedy victory is the main object in war. If this is long in coming, weapons are blunted and
morale depressed. When the army engages in protracted campaigns, the resources of the state will
fall short. Thus, while we have heard of stupid haste in war, we have not yet seen a clever operation
that was prolonged.
· Generally, in war the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this. To capture the
enemy’s entire army is better than to destroy it; to take intact a regiment, a company, or a squad is
better than to destroy it. For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the epitome
of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence. Those skilled in war
subdue the enemy’s army without battle.
· The art of using troops is this: When ten to the enemy’s one, surround him. When five times his
strength, attack him. If double his strength, divide him. If equally matched, you may engage him
with some good plan. If weaker, be capable of withdrawing. And if in all respects unequal, be
capable of eluding him.
· Know your enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will never be defeated. When
you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If
ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle.
· He who occupies the field of battle first and awaits his enemy is at ease, and he who comes later to
the scene and rushes into the fight is weary. And therefore, those skilled in war bring the enemy to
the field of battle and are not brought there by him. Thus, when the enemy is at ease, be able to tire
him; when well fed, be able to starve him; when at rest, be able to make him move.
· Analyze the enemy’s plans so that you will know his shortcomings as well as his strong points.
Agitate him to ascertain the pattern of his movement. Lure him out to reveal his dispositions and to
ascertain his position. Launch a probing attack to learn where his strength is abundant and where
deficient. It is according to the situation that plans are laid for victory, but the multitude does not
comprehend this.
· An army may be likened to water, for just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the
lowlands, so an army should avoid strength and strike weakness. And as water shapes its flow in
accordance with the ground, so an army manages its victory in accordance with the situation of the
enemy. And as water has no constant form, there are in warfare no constant conditions. Thus, one
able to win the victory by modifying his tactics in accordance with the enemy situation may be said
to be divine.
· If you decide to go into battle, do not announce your intentions or plans. Project “business as usual.”
· Unskilled leaders work out their conflicts in courtrooms and battlefields. Brilliant strategists rarely
go to battle or to court; they generally achieve their objectives through tactical positioning well in
advance of any confrontation.
· When you do decide to challenge another company (or army), much calculating, estimating,
analyzing, and positioning bring triumph. Little computation brings defeat.
· Skillful leaders do not let a strategy inhibit creative counter-movement. Nor should commands from
those at a distance interfere with spontaneous maneuvering in the immediate situation.
· When a decisive advantage is gained over a rival, skillful leaders do not press on. They hold their
position and give their rivals the opportunity to surrender or merge. They do not allow their forces
to be damaged by those who have nothing to lose.
· Brilliant strategists forge ahead with illusion, obscuring the area(s) of major confrontation, so
that opponents divide their forces in an attempt to defend many areas. Create the appearance
of confusion, fear, or vulnerability so the opponent is helplessly drawn toward this illusion of
advantage.
Note: Substitute the words strategy or strategic planning for war or warfare.