Sun Tzu Quotes

On winning a workplace conflict without ever raising your voice:

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

On prepping for a negotiation by studying yourself as hard as the other side:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

On job hunting during a round of layoffs:

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

On saying yes to the stretch project before you feel ready:

Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

On negotiating a raise without oversharing your walk away number:

All warfare is based on deception.

On preparing quietly for months before making a big career move public:

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

On choosing which arguments with a partner are worth having:

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

On keeping a job search private until the offer is signed:

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

On ending a conflict with a partner without cornering them:

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

On knowing when to push hard and when to hold steady in a business launch:

Move swift as the wind and closely formed as the wood, attack like the fire and be still as the mountain.

On preparing for a hard conversation instead of hoping it won't happen:

The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him.

Deciding how much planning to do before a high stakes negotiation:

The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought.

Deciding whether to wait for the right moment instead of acting now:

He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious.

Deciding whether to adapt your approach to a specific rival or stick with your usual style:

Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing.

Deciding how much loyalty to invest in the people who work for you:

Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.

Deciding when to cut losses on a drawn out conflict or lawsuit:

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

Deciding whether to make a call based on ego or on what actually serves the team:

The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.

Deciding whether to move fast on an opportunity before it closes:

Quickness is the essence of war.