Personal emotions must not drive state violence: avoid campaigning or fighting out of anger or pique… — Sun Tzu

Personal emotions must not drive state violence: avoid campaigning or fighting out of anger or pique; act only when advantageous.

Key Arguments

He explicitly forbids deploying troops to gratify a ruler’s spleen or fighting from pique, subordinating action to advantage.
He reiterates the advantage test: advance if beneficial; otherwise remain in place.

18. No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique. 19.

19. If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are. 20.

No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no general should fight a battle simply out of pique.
If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are.

xii. The Attack by Fire — ethical-political constraint on the use of force