The Art of War

The Art of War
Sun Tzu
600 BC
The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military written by Sun Tzu who is a high ranking military general and strategist of the Kingdom of Wu in the late-sixth century BC. The book is devoted to aspects of warfare strategies and tactics of its time, and is still read for its leadership and military insights.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/132
A leader leads by example not by force.

Swift as the wind
Quiet as the forest
Conquer like the fire
Steady as the mountain

To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy.

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
 
Winner is, He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.

Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.
 
All warfare is based on deception.
 
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions.

 To a surrounded enemy, you must leave a way of escape.

A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.

Management of many is the same as management of few. It is a matter of organization.

It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperilled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperilled in every single battle.

If you know your enemies and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles without a single loss.
If you only know yourself, but not your opponent, you may win or may lose.
If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself.
For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.

One hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the most skillful. Seizing the enemy without fighting is the most skillful.

One defends when his strength is inadaquate, he attacks when it is abundant

If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him.
force the enemy to take our strength for weakness, and our weakness for strength, and thus will turn his strength into weakness

Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.

 There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare.

The Art of War is one of the oldest and most successful books on military strategy in the world. It has been the most famous and influential of China's Seven Military Classics: "for the last two thousand years it remained one of the the most important military books in Asia, where even the common people knew it by name. It has had an influence on Eastern military thinking, business tactics, and beyond.
Sun Tzu emphasized the importance of positioning in military strategy, and that the decision to position an army must be based on both objective conditions in the physical environment and the subjective beliefs of other, competitive actors in that environment. He thought that strategy was not planning in the sense of working through an established list, but rather that it requires quick and appropriate responses to changing conditions. Planning works in a controlled environment, but in a changing environment, competing plans collide, creating unexpected situations.

Chapter summary
1. Laying Plans/The Calculations
Explores the five fundamental factors (the Way, seasons, terrain, leadership, and management) and seven elements that determine the outcomes of military engagements. By thinking, assessing and comparing these points, a commander can calculate his chances of victory.  Habitual deviation from these calculations will ensure failure via improper action. The text stresses that war is a very grave matter for the state, and must not be commenced without due consideration.

2. Waging War/The Challenge Explains how to understand the economy of warfare, and how success requires winning decisive engagements quickly. This section advises that successful military campaigns require limiting the cost of competition and conflict.
3. Attack by Stratagem/The Plan of Attack
Defines the source of strength as unity, not size, and discusses the five factors that are needed to succeed in any war. In order of importance, these critical factors are: Attack, Strategy, Alliances, Army, and Cities.
4. Tactical Dispositions/Positioning Explains the importance of defending existing positions until a commander is capable of advancing from those positions in safety. It teaches commanders the importance of recognizing strategic opportunities, and teaches not to create opportunities for the enemy.
5. Energy/Directing
Explains the use of creativity and timing in building an army's momentum.
6. Weak Points & Strong/Illusion and Reality
Explains how an army's opportunities come from the openings in the environment caused by the relative weakness of the enemy in a given area.
7.  Maneuvering/Engaging The Force Explains the dangers of direct conflict and how to win those confrontations when they are forced upon the commander.
8.Variation in Tactics/The Nine Variations
Focuses on the need for flexibility in an army's responses. It explains how to respond to shifting circumstances successfully.
9. The Army on the March/Moving The Force
Describes the different situations in which an army finds itself as it moves through new enemy territories, and how to respond to these situations. Much of this section focuses on evaluating the intentions of others.
10. Terrain/Situational Positioning
Looks at the three general areas of resistance (distance, dangers, and barriers) and the six types of ground positions that arise from them. Each of these six field positions offer certain advantages and disadvantages.

11.The Nine Situations/Nine Terrains Describes the nine common situations (or stages) in a campaign, from scattering to deadly, and the specific focus that a commander will need in order to successfully navigate them.
12.The Attack by Fire/Fiery Attack Explains the general use of weapons and the specific use of the environment as a weapon. This section examines the five targets for attack, the five types of environmental attack, and the appropriate responses to such attacks.

13. The Use of Spies/The Use of Intelligence Focuses on the importance of developing good information sources, and specifies the five types of intelligence sources and how to best manage each of them.