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A skilled commander seeks victory from the situation and does not demand it of his subordinates.

故善戰者，求之於勢，不責於人，故能擇人而任勢。

Original text (Chinese)

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Variants

The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage and does not demand it from his men.

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.

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.

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.

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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.