Strategy Quotes

“Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“If his forces are united, separate them.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbors.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“The spot where we intend to fight must not be made known; for then the enemy will have to prepare against a possible attack at several different points;”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“There are not more than five primary colors  (blue, yellow,  red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“So long as victory can be attained,  stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“We are not fit to lead an army on the march unless we are familiar with the face of the country -- its mountains and forests, its pitfalls and precipices, its marshes and swamps.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“The only teacher that's worth anything to you is your enemy.”
― Orson Scott Card, Xenocide

“These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“first lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle;  if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brute strength alone, victory will no longer be assured”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“Strategy is not really a solo sport – even if you’re the CEO.”
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book

“Doing nothing requires effort. Over time, that effort is greater than the effort necessary to improve, or move somewhere better. The trick is to redirect energy.”
― Max McKeown, Adaptability: The Art of Winning In An Age of Uncertainty

“Time is the friend of the wonderful business, the enemy of the mediocre.”
― Alice Schroeder, The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

“Sturm, Swung, Wucht”
― Erwin Rommel

“Following the rules of your industry will only get you so far.”
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book

“It is a good thing to make a bridge of gold to a flying enemy”
― Robert Louis Stevenson, The Master of Ballantrae

“Strategy and culture should have breakfast together.”
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book

“Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win.”
― Max McKeown, Adaptability: The Art of Winning In An Age of Uncertainty

“Strategy is methodical, but the one who steers chaos and randomness can steer God.”
― Lionel Suggs

“Give serious thought to why your company should care about your strategy. Specifically, find problems that the board wants to be solved. What are senior managers scared of? Part of becoming a credible strategic thinker is learning effective approaches to selling ideas for your situation. You’ll know that you’re getting better at selling (or pitching) strategy when managers start coming to you when there is strategic thinking to be done.”
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book

“With a clever strategy, each action is self-reinforcing. Each action creates more options that are mutually beneficial. Each victory is not just for today but for tomorrow.”
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book

“Look beyond what you can see, Think Potential”
― Samer Chidiac

“The doctrine of "exit strategy" fundamentally misunderstands the nature of war and, more generally, the nature of historical action. for the knowledge of the end is not given to us at the beginning.”
― Leon Wieseltier

“Brilliant strategy is the best route to desirable ends with available means.”
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book

“A great strategy meeting is a meeting of minds.”
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book

“The real heart of strategy is the strategist.”
― Max McKeown, The Strategy Book