Quote
By Sun Tzu
Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
- Source
- The Art of War (Sun Tzu, translated by Lionel Giles), 1910 · Chapter IV (Tactical Dispositions), paragraph 15
- Read at
- Lionel Giles translation (Project Gutenberg text, eBook #132)
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About this quote
From The Art of War, Chapter IV (Tactical Dispositions),, paragraph 15, in Lionel Giles's English translation (1910). Sun Tzu (Sunzi) wrote in Chinese, so the English words are Giles's. The author and date are uncertain; tradition places him around the 5th century BCE. Giles's wording.