Sun Tzu

trad. c. 544 – c. 496 BCE · Chinese general & military strategist

Sun Tzu (Sunzi) is the traditional author of The Art of War, a Chinese military treatise from roughly the 5th century BCE. His actual maxim on knowledge and battle — “know the enemy and know yourself” — insists on understanding both sides; the popular one-sided rewrite drops the enemy and overstates the payoff. Sun Tzu’s very historicity is debated by scholars, which makes any word-for-word attribution to him rest ultimately on later translations rather than a verifiable original voice.

Traced to source

6 quotes we’ve traced to Sun Tzu

“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”

Verified

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

Verified

“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle”

Attributed

“Know yourself and you will win all battles”

Disputed

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized”

Disputed

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”

Disputed

Not actually Sun Tzu

Often misattributed to Sun Tzu

Famous lines widely pinned on Sun Tzu that we’ve traced to someone else.

“Fear is the true enemy, the only enemy”

actually Herbert Wright

“In peace prepare for war, in war prepare for peace”

actually Unknown (echoes the Roman maxim “Si vis pacem, para bellum”)

“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”

actually Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola

“Never interfere with an enemy while he's in the process of destroying himself”

actually Napoleon Bonaparte

“The true objective of war is peace”

actually James Clavell

On the research bench

Commonly pinned on Sun Tzu — under review

2 lines flagged as pinned on Sun Tzu and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.

“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”

Disputed

“Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay its price.”

Disputed

Did they really say it?

Thought Sun Tzu said something else?

Type a quote you think Sun Tzu said — we’ll tell you what we know, or point you to the best sources.