The Art of War

ASSESSING THINGS

War is a

critical affair of the state.

Preserving our lives or hastening our deaths,

a step to safety or the road to ruin,

the art of war cannot

be neglected.

Five factors

influence warfare:

the first is tao, the second

is heaven, the third is earth,

the fourth is leadership,

and the fifth is

discipline.

When tao

is respected, people

accord with their leaders:

engaged in living, willing to

die if need be, fearing

nothing.

When heaven

is rightly respected,

advantages can be uncovered

in the movements of yin and yang,

light and dark, cold and heat,

seconds and seasons.

When the

earth is properly

considered, strength may be

gained by choosing distance or closeness,

high or low, narrow or wide,

the chances of life

or death.

When the

leader is artful, she

will manifest further gains

through her sincerity, wisdom,

benevolence, courage, and

exactitude.

When

discipline reigns,

the army’s forces are

intelligently divided among

capable officers, their equipment

well maintained, their

resources artfully

marshaled.

Warriors

mindful of all

these factors will prevail.

Those who ignore

them will

fail.

Therefore,

one should ask:

Which side accords most with

tao? Which side’s leader is more able?

Which side is more attuned to heaven

and earth? Which side is best equipped,

best trained, more disciplined,

more justly rewarded,

stronger?

These

considerations

foreshadow victory or defeat.

Those who attend to them, adapting their

plans as circumstances change, will enjoy

victory and remain in power. Those

who do not will suffer defeat

and removal.

* * *

Warfare and

deception go hand in hand.

Therefore, when poised and ready,

feign inability; when gathering strength,

give the appearance of idleness;

when drawing near, seem to

be far away; when far

away, plant fears of

proximity.

Seduce an

enemy with lures.

Pretend to be inept, then

strike a crushing blow. Prepare

for the opponent’s strengths,

but if they are too great,

slip away.

Unsteady his temper with irritations.

Fuel his arrogance by acting weak.

When he rests, devil him. If his forces are

united, come between them.

Attack where he is weakest.

Pop up where you aren’t expected.

Conceal each movement

until it is made.

Leaders who

don’t calculate are lost.

Leaders who calculate one time

will struggle, and leaders who calculate

without ceasing conquer. By looking

into this, we can see who

will win or

lose.

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