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For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.

是故百戰百勝，非善之善者也；不戰而屈人之兵，善之善者也。

Original text (Chinese)

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Notes from Wikiquote

The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities... It is best to win without fighting.

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More quotes by Sun Tzu

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

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

Secret operations are essential in war; upon them the army relies to make its every move.

Management of many is the same as management of few. It is a matter of organization.

The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Sun Tzu (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.