Sun Tzu on knowing your rival and yourself. From The Art of War by Sun Tzu, about the 5th century BC.
The third chapter of The Art of War, credited to Sun Tzu, is about winning with as little fighting as possible. It ends with a short list of what the winning side knows.
It knows when to fight and when not to. It can use a large army or a small one. Its people share one spirit. Then comes the line the book is best known for.
The Art of War says that if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear a hundred battles. Know only yourself, and every win comes with a loss. In the 340s BC, Sun Bin knew his rival despised Qi’s soldiers. He faked desertion with fewer cooking fires and drew him into an ambush at Maling.
Know what they fear and where you slip, and you need not fear the meeting. Practical advice: before a hard talk, write down their worry and your own weak spot.
Likely, on the evidence · checked against 4 sourcesBefore your next hard talk, write down what they fear and where you get defensive.
“I need to tell my manager I’m overloaded. How do I read her side and mine first?”
Tell my boss I’m overloaded, with a mentor playing the other person. →
Know Them, Know Yourself and the other 11 ideas of The Art of War, a minute at a time.
Download on theApp StoreEvery idea is drawn from the public-domain text, and its names, dates and quotes are checked against the sources listed with it. The paintings are made for Counsel; they show the scene, not a historical record.
