The Art of War · Part 2, In the fight · Idea 6 of 12

Leave Them a Way Out

Sun Tzu on why a cornered rival fights hardest. From The Art of War by Sun Tzu, about the 5th century BC.

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Where it comes from.

Chapter 7 of The Art of War, credited to Sun Tzu, ends with a run of short rules. A general could learn them by heart. Don’t charge uphill. Don’t chase an enemy who only pretends to flee. Don’t bite at bait.

The last two are the surprise. They are about an enemy you have already trapped, and they sound almost like mercy.

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The idea in short

The Art of War tells generals to leave a surrounded army a way out and not to press a desperate enemy too hard, because trapped people fight hardest. In 1962, Kennedy gave Khrushchev a road back from the Cuban missile crisis, and he took it. The next June, Kennedy said nuclear powers must avoid forcing a rival to choose between humiliating retreat and war.

Win the point, then leave the other person a way out. Practical advice: when you have won an argument, offer a face-saving reason and move to the fix.

Well established · checked against 4 sources

Make it yours.

Make it your step

After you win your next argument, offer the other person a face-saving way out.

Ask your council

“I caught my teenager lying, and I’m furious. How do I make my point without cornering him?”

Sources.

  1. The Art of War, translated by Lionel Giles, Attributed to Sun Tzu (Project Gutenberg), 1910The text
  2. The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, 2026
  3. Cuban Missile Crisis, Wikipedia, 2026
  4. A Strategy of Peace (American University commencement address), John F. Kennedy (Wikisource), 1963The text

The Art of War, in 12 ideas.

  1. 1
    Count Before You CommitSun Tzu on weighing both sides before a fight
  2. 2
    Know Them, Know YourselfSun Tzu on knowing your rival and yourself
  3. 3
    First, Don’t LoseSun Tzu on making yourself hard to beat before you try to win
  4. 4
    Win Without the FightSun Tzu on why the best victory needs no battle
  5. 5
    Long Fights Cost EveryoneSun Tzu on why no one wins a drawn-out war
  6. 6
    Leave Them a Way OutSun Tzu on why a cornered rival fights hardest
  7. 7
    Push Where It GivesSun Tzu on putting your effort where resistance is weakest
  8. 8
    Quiet, Then QuickSun Tzu on patience first and speed when the moment comes
  9. 9
    Never Move in AngerSun Tzu on why anger is a bad reason to act
  10. 10
    Kind, Not SoftSun Tzu on caring for your people without spoiling them
  11. 11
    The Five Ways Leaders FallSun Tzu on the five faults that ruin a leader
  12. 12
    Ask the People Who KnowSun Tzu on getting the truth from people, not guesses
PreviousLong Fights Cost Everyone
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Leave Them a Way Out and the other 11 ideas of The Art of War, a minute at a time.

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Every 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.

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