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

"Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger."

"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."

"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…"

"To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence."