Leadership Library
Strategy

The Art of War

Sun Tzu · 5th c. BC

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About

The oldest and most influential treatise on strategy — competition, positioning and winning without fighting.

SK's perspective

The single best primer on competitive strategy I return to before every big move.

Key learnings

  • Win before you fight — shape the ground first.
  • Know yourself and know your competitor.
  • Speed and deception beat brute force.
  • Supreme excellence is subduing rivals without a battle.
  • Adapt your tactics endlessly to the terrain.

Make it a ritual

Turn strategy from an event into a weekly habit of seeing the board before you touch a piece.

Professional life

  • Every Monday, name the one 'battle' you should win this week — and the two you should refuse.
  • Before any negotiation, write the other side's best move first, then your counter.

Personal life

  • Pick one conflict at home and ask: can I win this without fighting?
  • Sunday review — where did I burn energy on ground not worth taking?

Project Gutenberg (text) · LibriVox / Internet Archive (audio), public domain. — Translation by Lionel Giles. Public domain.

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