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The Art of Goodreads 1. Lotz says: The greatest books are the ones you never have to read, and the greatest words are the ones you never have to speak. Likewise, the greatest book reviews are the ones you never have to write.2. There are five types of books: (1) Ones I have read. (2) Ones I have not read. (3-5) It's complicated.3. To begin a book, find its weakest point. This is commonly the first page.4. Do not turn the page too slowly, as you will make it greasy; do not turn it too quickly,
I definitely never thought i'd want to read a book about Chinese military strategy written in 5th century BC .... yet here we are.This one turned out to be so interesting.
If anyone is looking for a war general I am available and well versed in war tactics due to this book. Hook me up.
Simply put, Sun Tzu says that it is better not to fight than to be involved in a conflict, but if you are going to have to fight, then you have to do it to win, and these are the various strategies, often brutal, that will get you that result.Niccolò Machiavelli, in The Prince says if you are in a position of power and seek to maintain it, it is better to be loved and respected, but if you can't achieve that, then at least enforce respect and these are the, often brutal, strategies that will get...
Awesome book... Pretty amazing insights. What I really loved is the fact that much of the insights can be used in today's fiercely competitive corporate scenarios as well. Must read! I bought this book at special price from here:https://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Sun-Tz...
I thought this would contain more wisdom than it did. I’ve heard so many people rave about it that I expected it to be more readily applicable to modern-day conflict. It’s interesting because of its age, but not for much else.
It is hard to speculate that this book has been written for one single era...When you read it you realise it meant to stay and teach all the humanity, a book that needs to be taught in schools, teaching kids how to THINK....How it is SIMPLE to THINK....Now THAT`S somthing they don`t usually teach us to know when we are nothing but small lads....Such a damn complicate world :(Here`s a small taste of what you may find in this small book :)------------------------ According as circumstances are fav...
Frankly, I got tired of my husband quoting this and having no idea what he was talking about. So, Heidi-the-Hippie/Librarian picked up The Art of War. I must love him a great deal because this was so not my thing though I valiantly struggled my way through it. I'd say about three quarters of the book was commentary and translation quibbles on the text itself, which is really rather brief and kind of pretty in a "this is how you kill a bunch of people" sort of way.My big take-aways from this were...
Sun Tzu's The Art of War is said to be the oldest military treatise in the world. Written centuries before the height of the Chinese empire before the common era, this slim volume did not make its way to the west until 1890, when French colonists brought a copy back to Paris. Regarded as classic by many, I decided to read the treatise for myself. Selecting an edition translated by Lionel Giles, the version I read was a mere 98 pages in length and at times underwhelming.The first forty pages of t...
The wise warrior avoids the battle. I can't think in a better quote to begin this review.Sometimes, reading books about war tactics or novels of the genre of war, is confused with glorify wars, destruction, death and all sad things that are results of a war. But, at least, in my case (I can't speak for others) it's not that. I don't glorify war. One of my favorite historical subjects is World War II, but it's not because an insane instinct of glorify war. I just support the concept that any p
Finally finished the first book of this year! Yay! Took me a lot of time due to my exams and uni in general.“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” I wanted to read The Art of War for very long and I finally managed to get to it. And I liked it. I think everybody should read it because many of the ideas from the Art of War can be found in different fields, for example in business. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”“Let your plans be dark an...
This was on the "Surprise Yourself" stack at the library. It was a choice between "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "The Art of War". I took the latter even if I think I'm more of a lover than a fighter. Besides, the stack was on the front desk, choosing the former is kinda awkward. I am quite surprised I finished this book. I felt like I subjected myself to study even if I'm not required to do so. It's actually quite entertaining, more so that I know that there won't be a test later. Despite the title...
Hey! Look at me stepping outside my comfort zone!I saw this audiobook in the library, and I thought it looked interesting.Hell, I've got 4 kids. This could come in handy.Next year I'll have not one, but two teenage boys. I need to prepare myself to defend my babies home from the invading whores hoards. I figured this book would help me gird my loins (or whatever it is you do) when you head into battle.Back off, Skanks! You're not getting past the front door! Still, even teenage boys pale in comp...
Who reads the Art of War?OK, sure everybody, or anybody can, but who actually does and why?If we could somehow take a survey and create a pie chart of who reads this 2500 year old Chinese manual, what would we find, who reads it?Military professionals, sure; executives, probably – wanna be executives, almost certainly; sports coaches, law enforcement officers, school teachers, teenage gamers, etc etc.The title will get attract and repel many all by itself. The text, full of philosophical musings...
So many little wars must be waged daily. Works on the battlefield and the office.CLASSICS:"When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.""In conflict, straightforward actions generally lead to engagement, surprising actions generally lead to victory.""Thus those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle .... They conquer by strategy.""Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril. When you are igno...
Sūnzǐ Bīngfǎ= The Art of War, Sun TzuThe Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise dating from the Spring and Autumn Period (roughly 771 to 476 BC). The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun", also spelled Sunzi), is composed of 13 chapters. Each one is devoted to a distinct aspect of warfare and how that applies to military strategy and tactics. For almost 1,500 years it was the lead text in an anthology that would be formalized as th...
While Sun Tzu is constantly praised for his work on The Art of War, I find it hard to believe that it has inspired anyone. This famous military strategy book has provided people such as Napoleon and the cast of 'Survivor: China' advice on handling the opposing force. However, despite the simple (yet adequate) translation that Lionel Giles provided, The Art of War does nothing more than to reiterate common sense. Sun Tzu asks the audience to not show off their strong points, but to lead the enemy...
Quick Demo: On Ruining a Classic TextKaufman (author more than translator, I feel) boasts: In this work you will learn how people are to be treated and dealt with. The work was written for men in command and leaders of states. It is for the ambitious and strong spirited; do not seek morality lessons here.Sun Tzu has been translated and interpreted countless times by people with little knowledge of true combat reality on either the physical or mental level.Most of the available translations and i...
Evidently, it seems, for the last couple thousand years, EVERYONE has been using the same textbook on how to conduct a war. It also seems to be that nobody even knows for sure who wrote the book or when, but everyone uses it anyway. Included in this book are precious reminders that strategy helps you win, retreating helps you not die, if you outnumber the enemy 5 to 1, attacking would probably be a good idea, and also if you're a tiny country surrounded by powerful countries, it might be time to...
(Throwback Review) "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle. This book, written in the 5th century BC, tells us the strategies and tactics needed for winning a war. Sun Tzu tells us that no nation is ever benefitted by prolonged warfare, and it is better to avoid battles. If we reach a point where war is inevitable, Sun Tzu will help us win it in the best way possible without hurting many people. Even though it was written centuries ago, all the tactics mentioned in it are still re...