Sun Tzu on patience first and speed when the moment comes. From The Art of War by Sun Tzu, about the 5th century BC.
The longest chapter of The Art of War, credited to Sun Tzu, walks through the situations a general can land in. They run from home ground to desperate ground. It ends not with a rule but with a picture of two speeds.
Chapter 5 offers a similar one. Energy, it says, is like bending a crossbow. Decision is like releasing the trigger.
The Art of War pairs two speeds: the coyness of a maiden until the enemy gives an opening, then the speed of a running hare. In chapter 5, energy is a bent crossbow and decision is the trigger. At Austerlitz in 1805, Napoleon looked hesitant for days, then struck the allied center and broke their army in a single day.
Wait quietly for the opening, then move fast enough that no one can stop you. Practical advice: spend your first weeks somewhere new listening, then fix one real problem quickly.
Well established · checked against 3 sourcesThis week, listen more than you speak, then finish one stuck problem fast.
“I just started a new job and want to make a mark. When should I start pushing my ideas?”
Quiet, Then Quick 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.
