Military action must be governed by objective prospects of victory rather than by the ruler’s orders: fight if victory is sure, refuse battle if it is not, regardless of command.
By Sun Tzu, from L'Art de la guerre
Key Arguments
- Sun Tzu gives the general autonomy to override the ruler when victory conditions clearly dictate action or restraint.
- This prioritizes strategic rationality and the preservation of the state over personal obedience.
Source Quotes
23. If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler’s bidding. 24.
Key Concepts
- If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it; if fighting will not result in victory, then you must not fight even at the ruler’s bidding.
Context
x. Terrain (lines 633–713) — primacy of military judgment over sovereign command