Strategy Quotes

"Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack."

"There is no instance of a nation benefitting from prolonged warfare."

"Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little."

Plutarch

“If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”

“Go back through football, and you will see that the team with the best defence wins.”

“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, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”

“Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.”

“In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good.”

“Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans.”

“In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack, the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of manoeuvres.”

“Hence that general is skilful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skilful in defence whose opponent does not know what to attack.”

“O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.”

“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”

“When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard.”

“Humble words and increased preparations are signs that the enemy is about to advance.”

“I've been in international competition, and now I know what the big boys can do. You don't go out and just run. There's an offence and a defence.”

“If a man can beat you, walk him.”

“I think that every artist, or anybody that's in business, could benefit from a direct-to-consumer strategy.”

“It's not called quitting if you quit while you're ahead. It's about being aware and being strategic enough to know that you got to get out the pool at some point.”

“A prince must be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves.”

“The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not.”

“No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.”

“There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.”

“Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate.”