Quotes about war and strategy

1. All warfare is based on deception.

2. Sun Tzŭ said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.

3. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.

4. There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

5. There are three ways in which a ruler can bring misfortune upon his army: —

6. An army may march great distances without distress, if it marches through country where the enemy is not.

7. Mencius said, 'In the "Spring and Autumn" there are no righteous wars. Instances indeed there are of one war better than another. "Correction" is when the supreme authority punishes its subjects by force of arms. Hostile States do not correct one another.'

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Data: Wikiquote (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0); English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.