when the general is weak, the nation is weak

banksy

 

 
The general

is the bulwark of the nation.

When the bulwark is strong, the nation

is strong. When the bulwark is

weak, the nation is

weak.

 

There

are three ways

in which a ruler can bring

misfortune to his army: if he orders

the army to retreat or advance when it cannot

effectively do so, this is called “hobbling the army”;

if he attempts to administer the army when he does not

know how, its warriors will become frustrated;

if he commands the officers without proper

insight into how they function, this

will undermine their

confidence.

 

Once an army

has been confused like this,

trouble will arise from every direction.

This is known as “inviting chaos

and handing victory to the

opponent.”

💀

 

from The Art of War, Chapter III

 

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we are all chained to fortune


 

We are all

chained to fortune:

the chain of one is made of gold,

and wide, while that of another is short

and rusty. But what difference does it make?

The same prison surrounds all of us, and even those

who have bound others are bound themselves; unless perchance

you think that a chain on the left side is lighter. Honors bind one man,

wealth another; nobility oppresses some, humility others; some are

held in subjection by an external power, while others obey

the tyrant within; banishments keep some in one place,

the priesthood others. All life is slavery. Therefore

each one must accustom himself to his own

condition and complain about it as

little as possible, and lay hold

of whatever good is to be

found near him.

 

Seneca