If You Want Peace, Understand

If You Find Your Opponent In A Strong Position Costly To Force, You Should Leave Him A Line Of Retreat As The Quickest Way Of Loosening His Resistance. It Should, Equally, Be A Principle Of Policy, Especially In War, To Provide Your Opponent With A Ladder By Which He Can Climb Down.

It Is Thus More Potent, As Well As More Economical, To Disarm The Enemy Than To Attempt His Destruction By Hard Fighting ... A Strategist Should Think In Terms Of Paralysing, Not Of Killing.

The Most Effective Indirect Approach Is One That Lures Or Startles The Opponent Into A False Move - So That, As In Ju-jitsu, His Own Effort Is Turned Into The Lever Of His Overthrow.

The Theory Of The Indirect Approach Operates On The Line Of Least Expectation.

If You Wish For Peace, Understand War.