Accurate self-knowledge and enemy-knowledge determine outcomes: know both to be secure, know one to trade victories and defeats, know neither to be defeated always.
By Sun Tzu, from L'Art de la guerre
Key Arguments
- He presents a three-part maxim linking degrees of knowledge to predictable results across battles.
Source Quotes
18. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. 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 neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
Key Concepts
- Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
- If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
- If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
Context
iii. Attack by Stratagem (lines 177–227)