The Art of War is one of the most famous strategy books of all time, and for good reason. While it’s just over 100 pages, it has so much wisdom that applies to not just the battlefield, but also modern leadership. Here, I’ll give you a brief summary of the context, organization, content, and takeaways from The Art of War.
Background on Reading
Sun Tzu was a Chinese military strategist from the 5th century BC, and authorship is generally attributed to him. The work was likely written during China’s Spring and Autumn Period and/or its Warring States Period. Both periods were marked by constant battles between different political and military entities. The several commentators in the book were also leading military thinkers in the years during or after these two periods.
The Art of War: How It’s Organized
I read the version translated by Thomas Cleary. Although only 117 pages, it was a dense read filled with lots of wisdom. I would not suggest trying to read it in one sitting, otherwise it will start to blend together in your head and you won’t be able to metabolize everything well.
In this version, there is a translator’s preface, followed by a translator’s introduction. While I’ll admit that I occasionally skip over these, I felt that this one was worth reading. Not only does Cleary extract some of the main ideas from the text, but he also gives some useful context on the time period and the commentators. Like I say in this post about understanding literature better, grasping the context is one of the most important things you can do to improve your understanding as you read.
With that being said, The Art of War is divided into thirteen short chapters, ranging from 3-15 pages each. They cover various aspects of war, from strategic assessments to the use of spies. Within these chapters, there is the wisdom from Sun Tzu, the principal author, and then commentary from various Ancient Chinese military leaders. While some of this commentary just restates or clarifies the original wisdom, it’s definitely worth reading each viewpoint, as several of them add more to it.
The wisdom/advice is generally presented in short quotes, not paragraph format. They are quick to read, and I recommend highlighting or underlining as you go to return to the information.
The Main Ideas
Although The Art of War covers many ideas and reviews almost every aspect of battle, it boils down to a few main ideas. These include the following:
Pick your battles
Sun Tzu repeats time and time again that not every battle is worth fighting, and that the best way to win is to not have to do battle at all. A good warrior or leader understands when it is not the time to fight, whether it is because of the situation or personal factors. Part of the key to success is not putting yourself and others foolishly into situations in which you cannot win. He specifically adds that you must not pick unnecessary fights or continue battles unnecessarily, as this only causes suffering.
Preparation is key
He makes a point to repeat that it is better to “plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” The earlier you get started planning, strategizing, and examining the situation, the more prepared you will be when the moment comes. Although flexibility is required, this usually translates to success.
Leadership often determines success
For me, this entire book is about leadership. Sun Tzu comments extensively on what makes a good leader; in fact, one of the first things that he recommends assessing is the leadership and the system of rewards and punishments they have. Like I learned in my teaching credential program, this is one of the most critical things you can implement to ensure success. The Art of War also identifies other components of good leadership, including intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and sternness.
One of my favorite quotes was this: “The one who treats me well is my leader, the one who treats me cruelly is my enemy.” If you’ve ever had an awful boss, this probably rings true for you, reinforcing the fact that human psychology has barely changed over the last 2500 years.
Another quote that made me laugh because it made me think of teaching and classroom discipline: “The general lacks authority, the army is disorderly.” How true is this?
In order to win, you need to be unified about your cause
If you’ve ever been to a forced team-building event at work, you’re familiar with the idea. This is referred to as “The Way” in the book, otherwise the moral fiber and common ground of a group. If everyone is equally committed to this, this brings peace, unity, and determination. If they aren’t, your army is easy to tear apart. The ultimate goal is to make the army have the same aims as the leadership.
Know yourself, know your enemy
This just brings Green Day lyrics to mind, but it’s also a recurrent point in The Art of War. Sun Tzu emphasizes that these are two sides of the same coin. If you don’t know yourself, you’ll lose. If you don’t know your enemy, you’ll also lose. By studying both people, you’ll be able to find (and address) strengths and weaknesses. Without doing this, you are going in half blind. In order to be successful, you must be not only a careful observer of nature and humanity, but also a self-aware individual.
Let them underestimate you
There are several examples about how being underestimated can work to your benefit. Sun Tzu’s main point is that losing armies try to intimidate or show off, but smart ones keep quiet and allow themselves to be underestimated so that they can win in the end. Showing your hand too early only weakens your campaign. My favorite quote? “Be unknowable as the dark.”
Everything is about balance
Balance is a recurring concept. Sun Tzu talks about emptiness and fullness, knowing yourself and your enemy, anger and joy, effectiveness and ineffectiveness, and orthodox and unorthodox. Everything is about finding a favorable balance in these dichotomies.
Timing is critical
Everything is a matter of timing. If you’re too early, you risk going in unprepared. If you’re too late, the other side has had time to prepare. The physical and mental conditions, as well as the strategy, all feed into picking the perfect time to strike. When in doubt, observe more, make your plans, and go in when you are confident.
Psychology can determine a battle
There’s a lot of talk of when to use spies and what kind, the aforementioned leadership, situations that affect your troops, and causes of desperation and despair in an army. At the heart of all of these is one concept: human psychology. If your troops have the same values and are treated well, they’ll fight for you. If you’re cruel to them or they don’t believe in the cause, things won’t go well. When disruption is sown, the unity and faith in leadership is the deciding factor. You need to know what makes people tick and what can sway them. If you do, you’ll be more successful.
Similar Books
Given that The Art of War is an ancient text and a book on leadership, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius was my immediate thought. Part of the Stoicism movement, it contains the diary entries of a Roman Emperor, many of which were done while he was at battle. It is also told in short sections filled with deep wisdom about life, philosophy, and happiness.
Another similar book, although for a different field, would be How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Although they seem different at first, both focus intensely on human psychology and using that to your success. If The Art of War is a book primarily focusing on hard power, How to Win Friends focuses on that soft power. I have a review of the updated 21st century version of the book here.
Finally, The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli taps into the same political and strategic philosophies. Written in the 16th century as a guide for leaders to hold onto power, it contains the same type of blunt, practical advice, although it focuses more on political power instead of battle tactics. The philosophy may not be the same, but the relevance toward modern thought is.
A Reflection on The Art of War’s Relevance Today
While most of us hopefully aren’t fighting in literal battles, The Art of War still holds valuable lessons for each one of us. It is, above all, a book on leadership and psychology. Never mind the fact that you’re not a general leading an army into war. Do you run a club at a university or want to be promoted at work? The book’s advice applies. It also has excellent advice for life in general: be observant, prepare early for all situations, and be strategic about what you get yourself involved in.
Because of this, I greatly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone. Hopefully this brief overview has been an encouragement to pick the book up and read it!
