War is of vital importance to the state and must be rigorously studied because it determines survival or ruin.
By Sun Tzu, from L'Art de la guerre
Key Arguments
- War concerns “life and death” and the path to “safety or to ruin,” making neglect unacceptable
- Because of its stakes, it is “a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected”
Source Quotes
Laying Plans 1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. 2.
2. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected. 3.
Key Concepts
- The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
- It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.
- Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
Context
Chapter i. Laying Plans (lines 58–123); Sun Tzu opens by asserting the existential stakes of war and the necessity of prior study.