The Art of War · Part 3, Leading people · Idea 9 of 12

Never Move in Anger

Sun Tzu on why anger is a bad reason to act. From The Art of War by Sun Tzu, about the 5th century BC.

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A painting for Never Move in Anger

Where it comes from.

Chapter 12 of The Art of War, credited to Sun Tzu, is about fire. It covers when to set it, which winds to wait for, and how to follow it up. Then, at the very end, it turns to a different kind of heat.

No ruler, it says, should send out troops to ease his own temper. No general should fight because he feels slighted.

3 more screens in the appThe rest of the story, and where it turns up in your own week.
The idea in short

The Art of War ends its chapter on fire with a warning. No ruler should go to war to ease his temper, and no general should fight out of pique, because anger passes and a ruined kingdom does not return. After Sun Quan killed Guan Yu, Liu Bei refused peace in a rage. His army was burned out at Xiaoting in 222.

Anger passes; what you break while angry stays broken. Practical advice: write the angry message, then wait a full day before you send it or decide anything.

Well established · checked against 5 sources

Make it yours.

Make it your step

Write the angry message, then wait a full day before you send it.

Ask your council

“My boss humiliated me in a meeting, and I want to quit today. How do I decide calmly?”

Practice the talk

Tell my boss I’m quitting, with a mentor playing the other person. →

Sources.

  1. The Art of War, translated by Lionel Giles, Attributed to Sun Tzu (Project Gutenberg), 1910The text
  2. Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), chapter 32: Liu Bei, Chinese text, Chen Shou (Wikisource), 285The text
  3. Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), chapter 36: Guan Yu, Chinese text, Chen Shou (Wikisource), 285The text
  4. Battle of Xiaoting, Wikipedia, 2026
  5. Guan Yu, Wikipedia, 2026

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
PreviousQuiet, Then Quick
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Read the rest in Counsel.

Never Move in Anger 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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