Integrated situational knowledge produces composure in action; knowing the enemy and yourself dispels doubt, and knowing Heaven and Earth completes victory.
By Sun Tzu, from L'Art de la guerre
Key Arguments
- Experience and knowledge prevent bewilderment after movement and uncertainty after breaking camp.
- Sun Tzu’s maxim asserts certainty of victory with knowledge of self and enemy, and its completion with knowledge of environmental factors.
Source Quotes
30. Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss. 31.
31. Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.
Key Concepts
- Hence the experienced soldier, once in motion, is never bewildered; once he has broken camp, he is never at a loss.
- If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete.
Context
x. Terrain (lines 633–713) — synthesis: epistemic composure and the classic maxim