The Art of War

Sun Tzu 500-200 BCE

How can you win without costly conflict? Principles of military strategy, from assessing an opponent to choosing terrain and timing. Examine preparation, deception, intelligence, and adaptation, with an emphasis on securing victory while avoiding costly conflict.

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Idea 27
Use advantage and danger to move the enemy. Disturb rest, threaten supplies, and appear where movement is unexpected. Attack what is unguarded and defend where the enemy does not know to attack.
Idea 50
Many defeats blamed on circumstances are failures of command: flight from attacking vastly superior numbers, laxity when soldiers overpower officers, collapse when officers act from resentment, disorder under weak and unclear leadership…
Idea 66
Refusing to spend modest rewards on intelligence while armies and civilians bear the immense cost of a long campaign is both wasteful and inhumane. Foreknowledge is what allows action to produce exceptional results.

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