The Art of War

Sun Tzu was legitimately a brilliant tactician but a bunch of his insight is shit like "if you think you might lose, avoid doing that", "being outnumbered is bad generally", and "consider lying."
In context, this was guide written by someone with experience for the heads of military who had never seen battle but were given command by right of birth-- basically a nepo baby's guide to not messing up the war for us.
Definitely part of my "so you want to rule the world" curriculum. I love it

I read the 1910 translation by Lionel Giles, available for free on the internet. This edition was complemented with notes offering commentary by a wide range of Chinese near-contemporaries who offered their examples, corollaries, etc. The translator added further illumination throughout which added considerably to what I gleaned. What Sun Tzu seems to offer is the codifying of common sense, but that's easy for me to say. He covers all of his bases thoroughly in his opening chapter, outlining categories of consideration and then throwing in a paragraph noting that other considerations may also come into play, every battle is different, etc. Cynically, I feel this makes it easier to take a stand as the ultimate authority: "The general show more that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it will conquer."

Sun Tzu is silent on the topic of avoiding war altogether (notwithstanding his advice to conquer without combat), as if the first diplomacy he prefers to resort to is raising an army. He also hasn't much to say about keeping an army supplied, only its necessity. His advice is entirely practical, unconcerned with any concept resembling honour, eschewing pride as weakness. The only advice that puzzled me was his recommendation to face the sun; I thought you want the sun to shine in your enemy's eyes? Everything points to his having been a man of experience, one who knew cost and consequence. I was more impressed as I read further, finding short precise sentences used to convey enormous meaning, and sometimes in multiple ways. show less

Thirteen chapters, twenty‑five centuries, zero wasted words.

I picked up this book expecting ancient military wisdom that would feel hopelessly dated. Spears, chariots, fire arrows- what could a 5th‑century Chinese general teach me about anything relevant? I was wrong. Not completely wrong. The specific tactics (how to position troops on a hill, when to set fire to an enemy camp) are museum pieces. But the principles are not. They are bones. And bones, once picked clean of their original flesh, fit any body of conflict.

What it is:

A slim treatise of thirteen chapters, each dedicated to a single aspect of warfare: planning, offensive strategy, maneuvering, terrain, the use of spies, the importance of deception. Sun Tzu (or the show more historical figure(s) behind the name) wrote it as a manual for feudal Chinese commanders. It is aphoristic, almost oracular. You can read it in an afternoon. You can spend a lifetime trying to apply it.

The most famous line comes early: "All warfare is based on deception." But the book is not about lying. It is about economy. The best victory, Sun Tzu argues, is not a bloody battle; it is winning without fighting. The second‑best is a siege; starving the enemy out. The worst is a prolonged, head‑on assault. "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence," he writes. "Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

Why it has survived for 2,500 years:

1. The principles are transferable. Business executives read The Art of War for competitive strategy. Coaches read it for game theory. Politicians read it for negotiation tactics. Lawyers read it for courtroom positioning. Even writers read it, knowing when to attack, when to retreat, when to feint, when to commit. The book works because Sun Tzu understood that conflict, in any arena, follows certain irreducible laws: know yourself, know your enemy, choose your ground, preserve your resources, strike where the opponent is weakest.

2. It is ruthlessly economical. No digressions. No anecdotes. No philosophy for its own sake. Each sentence is a tool. You can open the book at random and find a line that lands like a hammer: "If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near." "The wise general avoids the strong and strikes the weak." "There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare." Reading it feels like sitting at the feet of a master who refuses to waste a single word.

3. The concept of "winning without fighting" is revolutionary. Western military tradition (until recently) glorified the decisive battle: Waterloo, Gettysburg, the Somme. Sun Tzu calls that foolishness. War is expensive. Men die. Supplies burn. A Pyrrhic victory is still a loss. The truly skilled commander, he argues, breaks the enemy's will before the first arrow flies: through deception, positioning, alliances, spies, psychological pressure. This is not pacifism. It is efficiency. And it applies just as well to a corporate takeover or a courtroom cross‑examination.

4. The emphasis on knowledge. Sun Tzu devotes an entire chapter to spies; not as a footnote, but as a pillar of strategy. He distinguishes five types of spies: local, inward, converted, doomed, and surviving. The point is simple: you cannot win if you do not know the enemy. And you cannot know the enemy without eyes. In an age of intelligence agencies and data analytics, this feels prescient. But it is just common sense, dressed in ancient robes.

5. The humility. For a book called The Art of War, it is remarkably cautious. Sun Tzu constantly warns against pride, overconfidence, and the temptation to fight on the enemy's terms. He advises retreat when the situation is unfavorable. He counsels against pressing a defeated enemy too hard. Give them a way out, or they will fight to the death. This is not the wisdom of a glory‑hungry general. It is the wisdom of a survivor.

Where it might disappoint a modern reader:

1. It is not a step‑by‑step manual. Do not expect diagrams, case studies, or tactical breakdowns. The chapters are short, abstract, and sometimes contradictory. (When should you attack? When should you wait? The answer: it depends.) You have to interpret Sun Tzu. That is part of the fun. But if you want clear instructions, look elsewhere.

2. The translations vary wildly. Some translators render Sun Tzu in stiff, academic English. Others (like Thomas Cleary) aim for aphoristic punch. The most popular version is Lionel Giles's 1910 translation, which is public domain and readable, but its Victorian cadences can feel distant. I recommend the translation by John Minford (Penguin Classics). It balances accuracy with elegance and includes helpful commentary.

3. The cultural context is missing. Sun Tzu wrote for a world of feudal Chinese states, where generals were also aristocrats, where war was seasonal, and where the ruler often meddled disastrously in military affairs. Some advice ("When the ruler's orders are clearly impossible, do not obey") would have been treasonous in other times and places. A good edition includes historical notes. Do not skip them.

Who should read this:

Anyone in a competitive field: business, law, sports, politics, even creative writing.
Students of military history who want to understand the foundations of Eastern strategy.
People who appreciate concise, aphoristic wisdom (Marcus Aurelius, Machiavelli, La Rochefoucauld).
Those who want to think more strategically about their own decisions.

Who might skip it:

If you need concrete, actionable advice with examples.
If you find ancient military strategy boring or irrelevant.
If you dislike proverbs and prefer narrative.

Final verdict:

The Art of War is not a perfect book. It is too cryptic, too abstract, too easily misinterpreted. But it is a necessary book, a reminder that force is a failure of strategy, that knowledge beats courage, and that the greatest victory leaves the enemy intact but unwilling to fight. I read it first in my late teens, then again in my twenties, then again recently. Each time, I found something new. That is the mark of a classic: it grows with you.

Four stars. Not five, because the book is not a complete system. It is a collection of fragments. But those fragments have sharp edges. Handle them carefully. They will cut.

P.S. There is a famous apocryphal story: a modern military commander, asked if he still reads Sun Tzu, replied, "I don't read Sun Tzu. Everyone else has read Sun Tzu. I read what Sun Tzu read." That is a better strategy than the book itself. show less

I decided to read The Art of War because of references to it in the best/only good general marketing book I read during my commerce education: Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning. I was curious to see why a modern marketing handbook would have references to a classic handbook in ancient warfare, and why The Art of War is such a famous book.

I can see now why the book is famous: it is because its warfare principles are generally applicable to competitive situations - including marketing and politics (maybe office politics too?)

I expected a heavy brick of an analytic strategy book, but it is the opposite: a thin, minimalist poetry book.

It is a piece of art. The pattern of words is aesthetically pleasing and produces vivid show more imagery of ancient armies moving and camping in harsh terrains; yet the strange scenery and poetic style conveys core strategic principles for competition with great accuracy.

Essentially, The Art of War encourages careful consideration of the dynamics of all situational variables (listing them), and discourages impulsive and dumb warfare, which is any warfare driven by an irrational motive, or which can not be won quickly with minimal loss. show less

Art of War (兵法）is perhaps the greatest book ever on military strategy. SunZi writes very well. Unfortcunately, most translations take liberties. It's partly because classical Chinese is pithy. I don't think it's because of racism: basically the leading public domain translations filter SunZi through Clausewitz and/or Mahan. I think we can safely ignore the metaphysical aspects, which basically reflect Chinese elemental theory. If you don't worry about trying to figure out his geomancy and read it with skepticism you can definitely get the ideas he is trying to convey. The translations aren't faithless, just that there is a lot one can interpret in -- and they do! Example: 兵法　would be better translated as "Law of Soldiery" or show more "Laws of Arms" which better reflects SunZis broad perspective which considered not merely war, but also training and discipline of troops and of course state-to-state relations and geography. "Know yourself and know your enemy and you will win all your battles" is memorable; but SunZi's writing like all classical Chinese is terse. What he really wrote was: "Know yourself, know your counterpart; 100 battles, 100 victories." The usual translation is a fair interpolation but definitely reads in some things and reads out others: To regard the opponent as a counterpart, not an enemy, is very much part of SunZi's thinking. Despite the fact most translations are inaccurate you MUST read this book if state power & international relations are your object of study. Bad SunZi is better than no SunZi! AMAZING BOOK. READ AND LEARN. show less

“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.”

I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu through an app called Serial Reader, which breaks up longer books, novellas and short stories into manageable pieces that a reader can read in 12 minutes a day. I love to use Serial Reader when I’m waiting for the bus, in the line at the post office, whenever I feel like I have a few moments, but not necessarily long enough to take out a book and find my place.

I also really like Serial Reader because I tend to read things I wouldn’t otherwise read, but so far I’ve really enjoyed all the stories and novels that I’ve read.

I found The Art of War to be show more surprisingly readable, considering it was written around the 5th century, BCE and has been translated countless times since then. It’s much more philosophical than I had anticipated, and in a way, deeply spiritual.

Of course it’s dry. It is. It is an ancient military self-help book, none of it is relevant to me. There are lots of lists about the different kinds of ground an army might fight on, different types of weather, how to traverse it all.

And yet I found it interesting.

I appreciated that this translator (and, I suppose, author) warned against fighting at all. If you want to occupy a town, best to get the enemy to surrender to you painlessly, so that the town is in tact and nothing is destroyed. Sun Tzu really speaks to the desperation of war, how the last thing anyone wants to do in a war is fight, but if you have to fight, this is what you need to do.

I’m glad I read this text. I often found myself reading it and wondering about all the people, leaders, warriors, stay-at-home mothers who’d read it before, who were reading it with me. What did they learn from it? How did they feel reading it? Was it more relevant to their lives than it was to mine?

That, in and of itself, is a fascinating thing to think about, don’t you think? show less

The Art of War by Sun Tzu is one of the most influential texts in history, offering strategic insights that have been applied not only in warfare but also in business, sports, and personal development. Written over 2,500 years ago, this ancient Chinese military treatise is still highly relevant today.

🔹 What’s the Book About?
The book is a concise guide to warfare strategy, focusing on tactics, deception, and adaptability. Sun Tzu emphasizes the importance of planning, understanding your enemy, and choosing the right moment to act. While it’s rooted in military strategy, the principles are applicable in any competitive or leadership situation, focusing on how to achieve success with minimal conflict.

🔹 Key Themes
🧠 Strategy & show more Planning → The importance of careful planning and foresight in achieving victory.
🎭 Deception & Misdirection → “All warfare is based on deception”—how to mislead and outsmart the opponent.
⚖️ Adaptability & Flexibility → The need to adapt to changing circumstances and environments.
💪 Leadership & Discipline → How strong leadership can lead to success and how to maintain control over your forces.

🔹 Pros
✅ Timeless principles that can be applied to various fields, not just warfare.
✅ Clear, concise, and thought-provoking.
✅ Provides valuable lessons on decision-making, leadership, and strategy.

🔹 Cons
❌ Some principles can be seen as too focused on manipulation or control.
❌ The text can be abstract, requiring interpretation to apply effectively.

🔹 Final Verdict
The Art of War is a must-read for anyone interested in strategy, leadership, or self-improvement. While it’s centered on military tactics, its wisdom transcends time and context, offering invaluable lessons for anyone looking to navigate competition and conflict. show less