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

Why it lasts

  • 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.

Behind the book

  • 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