![]() ![]() When you surround an army, leave an outlet free.Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.And they will follow you into the deepest valley. Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons.The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. The proverb Keep your friends close and your enemies closer is a well-known saying that advises us to maintain close relationships with both our friends and. ![]() There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable when using our forces, we must seem inactive when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain. Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood.Know yourself and you will win all battles.When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil.Opportunities multiply as they are seized.There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.There are not more than five primary colors, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted. ![]() Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. Sun-tzu Chinese general & military strategist (400 BC) View a Detailed Biography of Sun-tzu View all 8 Sun-tzu quotations Search for Sun-tzu at Notice an error or discrepancy Send us a comment about this quotation. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Quotation 36994 from Classic Quotes: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness.Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:ġ He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.Ģ He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.ģ He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.Ĥ He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.ĥ He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment - that which they cannot anticipate. Engage people with what they expect it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections.Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all I can?.This is all good information to have, should our enemies attack us because we can use that information to defend ourselves or diffuse the situation. What motivates their actions? How do they persuade people? What causes them to get pushed off their game? This allows us to work with them closely so we can gain invaluable insight to how they work or complete a goal you have in common. Having resources or information to give them will make you an asset to them and vice versa. Typically, we will have some shared objectives, interests or values with our enemies. Beneath the surface, there is a huge amount of respect for each other and how they are executing their game of cat and mouse with each other. Al Pacino plays a detective who is hunting Robert De Niro’s character. There is a scene in the movie Heat where this is illustrated. If you are enemies, you each see each other as a threat, and we respect people who challenge us on some level. With an enemy there is already foundation of mutual respect, even if you dislike each other. Keeping your enemies close requires a balancing act, but once mastered will become second nature. ![]() Enemies also present times for adversity, which naturally pushes you out of your comfort zone and provides an opportunity for personal growth. How do they think? What motivates their actions? What kind of tactics might they employ against you? What are their pressure points?Īnother reason why it’s important to keep your enemies closer is that they may honest with you about a shortcoming, where a friend wouldn’t be to spare your feelings. If someone is your enemy, it’s helpful to understand what their strengths and weaknesses are. The idea of keeping your enemies closer is all about knowledge, information and strategy. Friends are somewhat predictable, and you know their strengths and weaknesses. You may know this famous quote from The Godfather Part II or Machiavelli, but it dates back to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. ![]()
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