Oldest Legendary book I have ever reviewed

The Art Of War by Sun Tzu

The Art of War by Sun Tzu Audio Book

What You Will get In this Article

• Summary 
• Overview 
• Weaknesses
• Strengths
• Quotes

Summary

The Art of War is the oldest book I have ever known. Basically it is a chinese book wrote about 2500 (roughly) years ago. Experts says it was written in 500BC. You will surprise by hearing that It was originally written on Bamboo Strips. This is an ancient book. The book is written on war strategies. It was written by Sun Tzu. The book has principle that every king has to follow. The book is later translated by many authors. The actual translation of book is "Master Sun's Rules of Warfare" or "Master Sun's Military Methods.

In 500bc, chinese kingdoms always faught with each others. There was only two options for kingdoms defeat the attacker and survive or lose everything. To win a war you must have perfect strategies.  From this book we can say that Sun Tzu may be was an great warrior and a great general of that time. His knowledge of war strategy is written in this old book. He mentioned many things that could be help you to win a war in 21st century also. We don't found much articles books written on Sun Tzu. There was a very little information is written about this general in Chinese History. 

Overview

Sun Tzu had a great knowledge of war. He told about strategies those will helpful in winning a war. There is no any exact information available about this book. But the rules in this book have been followed from minimum 1000 years. The book total has 13 chapters.  Few authors who translated this book thinks that it was originally have 12 chapters, the 13th chapter was later added into this historical book. 

The 13th chapter explains about strategies like how to move army in difficult condition, in harsh terrain, how to use different weapons and how to respond against different weapons and attacks. This last chapter also advice army generals about conflicts and their resolutions. 

There are few rules or quotes (you can say anything) written in this book, which are helpful in a fight or war.

• If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders ARE clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers

• If we know that our own men are in a condition to attack, but are unaware that the enemy is not open to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory

• If we know that the enemy is open to attack, but are unaware that our own men are not in a condition to attack, we have gone only halfway towards victory

• In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns

• Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting

• To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself

• Take advantage of the enemy’s unreadiness, make your way by unexpected routes, and attack unguarded spots

• He who relies solely on warlike measures shall be exterminated; he who relies solely on peaceful measures shall perish

• When two countries go to war, they are naturally inclined to make an ostentatious display of their strength. Yet our spies have seen nothing but old age and infirmity. This is surely some ruse on the part of the enemy, and it would be unwise for us to attack

• The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom

• The art of giving orders is not to try to rectify minor blunders and not to be swayed by petty doubts. Vacillation and fussiness are the surest means of sapping the confidence of an army

• When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is INSUBORDINATION

• All warfare is based on deception

• You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended

• No town should be attacked which, if taken, cannot be held, or if left alone, will not cause any trouble

• The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals

• So long as victory can be attained, stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness

• Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles and succeed in his attacks without cultivating the spirit of enterprise; for the result is waste of time and general stagnation

(Note: The quotes are taken from the Medium)

Weakness of The Art of War

As there wasn't any way for me to get my hands on this book, I can't clearly talk about its weaknesses. The quotes written in this book seems to be very accurate even in 21st century.

Strengths of The Art of War

• The book is a great success and being ancient it gives the deep knowledge of warfare at that time.
• The quotes from these book are not just regular worlds, these came from a knowledge and experience.
• The Art of War was written on bamboo strips, which was the best method of keeping records at that time. Writting it on bamboo strips made it last longer than writting on paper. 

Following are the few quotes those I liked more....

• All warfare is based on deception
• So long as victory can be attained, stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness
• In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns

• Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting
• To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself

The Art of War is a guide which teaches:

• How war strategies should be. 
• How you can defeat your enemies in different weather and terrain conditions.
• How your army should move from one place to other.
• How to win every war or fight.

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Thank You 😊