Chapter 4 · Tactical Dispositions

Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive. The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth. To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease. He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.