The Art of War
Sun Tzu c. 500 BCE
Thirteen short chapters set out how a general should plan, fight, and win a war. Chapter one gives its most quoted line: all warfare is based on deception.
39 pages 46 min reading time
- The most famous book on military strategy ever written, and the oldest still widely read today.
- Argues that the best victory is the one won without fighting, by outthinking the enemy before any battle begins.
- Argues that a leader must know both the enemy and himself, because careful planning and good information matter more than strength alone.
- Became required reading for soldiers and rulers in China and Japan for centuries, and is still studied at military schools around the world.
- Its ideas have spread far beyond war, and business leaders, sports coaches, and lawyers often use them to think about competition.
Two Suns, two books
Scholars long suspected Sun Tzu's book was really by his descendant Sun Bin. A tomb more than 2,000 years old, opened in 1972, held both books side by side.
Tested on palace women
A historian wrote that when a king's palace women laughed at Sun Tzu's drill, he executed the king's two favorites. The rest obeyed.
Perhaps many writers
Many scholars think the book grew over time, written and added to by several people rather than one man.
Edited by a warlord
The Chinese general Cao Cao edited the text and wrote the oldest notes on it that still survive.
Translated by Lionel Giles 1910
From the 1910 first edition