All warfare is based on deception. There is no place where espionage is not used. Offer the enemy bait to lure him.
Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
Ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
To Subdue an enemy without fighting is the greatest of skills.
If an enemy has alliances, the problem is grave and the enemy’s position strong; if he has no alliances, the problem is minor and the enemy’s position weak.
Humble words and increased preparations are signs that the enemy is about to advance. Violent language and driving forward as if to the attack are signs that he will retreat.
Without harmony in the State, no military expedition can be undertaken; without harmony in the army, no battle array can be formed.
If I am able to determine the enemy’s dispositions while at the same time I conceal my own, then I can concentrate and he must divide.
There are routes not to be followed, armies not to be attacked, citadels not to be besieged, territory not to be fought over.
So the principles of warfare are: Do not depend on the enemy not coming, but depend on our readiness against him. Do not depend on the enemy not attacking, but depend on our position that cannot be attacked.
What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy’s strategy.
Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.
Unless you know the mountains and the forests, the defiles and impasses, the lay of the marshes and swamps, you cannot maneuver with an armed force. Unless you use local guides, you cannot get the advantages of the land.
So there are five ways of knowing who will win. Those who know when to fight and when not to fight are victorious. Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious.
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.
Carefully compare the opposing army with your own, so that you may know where strength is superabundant and where it is deficient.
In warfare, first lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle; if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brute strength alone, victory will no longer be assured.
In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.
Experience teaches that the time to buy stocks is when their price is unduly depressed by temporary adversity. In other words, they should be bought on a bargain basis or not at all.
A startup is a temporary organization designed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model.