"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."

"If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him."

"If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him."

"The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch'ang Shan mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its…"

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting."