Without preparedness superiority is not real superiority and there can be no initiative either. Having grasped this point, a force which is inferior but prepared can often defeat a superior enemy by surprise attack. We say an enemy on the move is easy to attack precisely because he is then off guard, that is, unprepared.

优势而无准备,不是真正的优势,也没有主动。懂得这一点,劣势而有准备之军,常可对敌举行不意的攻势,把优势者打败。我们说运动之敌好打,就是因为敌在不意即无准备中。

Original text (Chinese)

Another quote →

More quotes by Mao Zedong

All Mao Zedong quotes →

Attribution

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