Continue reading with Headway app
Continue reading
Summary of The Art of War
Short summary
War is an ancient act that has created and destroyed towns, villages, and cities. It is the existing structure on which some nations are developed and some are not. In this tidbit, the tactics of famous war general Sun Tzu are discussed. This summary focuses on the DOs and DON’Ts of war.
Sun Tzu wrote this classic book of military strategy 2500 years ago, based on Chinese military thought and warfare. It has since been adopted by civilizations for use in politics, business, and daily life. In both the boardroom and the battlefield, The Art of War should be utilized to achieve an edge.
Sun Tzu was an Eastern Zhou dynasty Chinese commander, military strategist, writer, and philosopher.
“All warfare is based on deception.” Sun Tzu
15 min
8 key points
7 insights
Table of content
- Summary of The Art of War
- About the author
- What is The Art of War about?
- Who should read The Art of War
- Topics in The Art of War
first key point
The art of war is very crucial to the government because it is a path either to security or destruction
Listen the first key point
00:00
00:00
War is an issue of life and death. And as such, it is a matter of scrutiny which can not be ignored on no account. The art of war is overseen by five constant elements one must put into consideration when looking to infer the circumstances happening in the field. These include:
• The Moral Law. It compels the population to be in full compliance with their leader so that they will obey him, not discouraged by any danger
• Heaven. Heaven points to seasons and time, day and night, heat and cold.
• Earth. Earth includes distances, whether small or great, possibilities of life and death, narrow passes and open ground, security, and danger.
• The Commander. The Commander signifies benevolence, sincerity, strictness, quality of wisdom, sincerity, and courage.
• Method and Discipline. Method and discipline must be utilized in the assemblage of the army in its formal subdivisions, the division of rank among the officials, the upkeep of roads by which supplies can get to the army, and the supervision of military expenses.
• The Moral Law. It compels the population to be in full compliance with their leader so that they will obey him, not discouraged by any danger
• Heaven. Heaven points to seasons and time, day and night, heat and cold.
• Earth. Earth includes distances, whether small or great, possibilities of life and death, narrow passes and open ground, security, and danger.
• The Commander. The Commander signifies benevolence, sincerity, strictness, quality of wisdom, sincerity, and courage.
• Method and Discipline. Method and discipline must be utilized in the assemblage of the army in its formal subdivisions, the division of rank among the officials, the upkeep of roads by which supplies can get to the army, and the supervision of military expenses.
All battles are founded on deception. Therefore, when you are prepared to strike, you must appear unprepared.
All generals must be aware of these five elements: he who understands them will be triumphant; he who fails to understand them will fail.
The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected. ~ Sun Tzu
Make use of the moment when your opponent is not ready; attack where you are not expected. These military tools, guiding to triumph, must not be divulged beforehand.
The general who wins a battle makes lots of analyses in his sanctuary where the war is fought. The general who forfeits a battle makes just a few analyses beforehand. Therefore, if lots of analyses lead to success and few analyses to defeat: how then will a general with no analysis win? By reading up to this point, you can predict who has the potential of winning or losing.
In the subsequent chapters, you’ll learn more about military techniques, and how to successfully plan a battle.
Did you know? According to the New York Times, at least 108 million people were killed in wars in the twentieth century.
The general who wins a battle makes lots of analyses in his sanctuary where the war is fought. The general who forfeits a battle makes just a few analyses beforehand. Therefore, if lots of analyses lead to success and few analyses to defeat: how then will a general with no analysis win? By reading up to this point, you can predict who has the potential of winning or losing.
In the subsequent chapters, you’ll learn more about military techniques, and how to successfully plan a battle.
Did you know? According to the New York Times, at least 108 million people were killed in wars in the twentieth century.
second key point
Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting
In the rational art of war, the decent thing to do is to seize the enemy’s country unscathed; destruction and total obliteration is not the best way to go. It is also better to regain an entire army than to destroy it, to seize a battalion, a division, or an entire institution than to destroy them.
Full summary is waiting for you in the app
third key point
Employ the direct and indirect method of fighting to secure victory
fourth key point
To win, use your strengths against your enemy’s weaknesses
fifth key point
Think of ways to put your enemy at a disadvantage, then tinker your approach as you take action
sixth key point
As you implement your fight strategy, modify your tactics based on real-time feedback
seventh key point
Secure a strong position and use it as a strategic base for your attacks
eighth key point
Conclusion
What is The Art of War about?
Who should read The Art of War
Topics in The Art of War
Enjoy summarized nonfiction bestsellers
Grasp the book’s key ideas in less than 15 minutes
Get startedGet new knowledge easily
Let’s check how many titles you can finish in a month with Headway! Tell us how much time you’d like to spend on reading:
Everything you need to be motivate, to learn & to self improves is all here. I actually do appreciate the reminders because otherwise this wouldn’t work for me. Thank you
Headway is the answer! No longer accumulating books I never read. With Headway, I initially chose the areas important to me such as productivity, time management, etc., and each day I'm provided several book summaries from which I devote 20 minutes or more each day reading. All of this on my phone! My life has improved with Headway. Truly my most useful app.
An excellent concept, executed well. Headway can help you retain what you've read while introducing you to the essential core of new information. It's an easier way to stay inspired, and to be reminded of the mental tools you've learned
In today’s world, we rarely have time. Between our jobs, our families are social obligations, when do we have time to grow and develop ourselves? Headway is an excellent app that gives you that time it gives you those little snippets of information that you need to direct your focus in on your life. Headway gives you a chance to find out the meat of a book that you might want to purchase and read or listen to in-depth without wasting a lot of time trying to figure out is this book for me? I highly recommend the app.
The selections are on point and the summaries are excellent! I listen while I walk my pup 🐶 and have in turn, ordered a few selections! REALLY loving the app, it’s layout, daily selections and features!
I've gotten multiple books out of the library with the intent to read them, but always have a hard time finding the time. This app has helped me finally be able to get to them. Summarized, yes, and thank goodness too! Just short enough I can finish one on my way picking kids up from school/practice, or while I'm cooking dinner. I can't wait to listen to them over the summer when we visit the beach!
It amazed me! There is the possibility to highlight the most important points of each book and instantly translate unfamiliar vocabulary. With the ability to review the searched words. It's a great way to learn more about English as well. The price is great.
I’m enjoying what I’m learning on headway.each summary comes with quotes at the end which you can save to help you remember key points. You can listen or read, I’ve found that reading puts me to sleep before I can finish but the listening feature keeps me engaged and I can finish in a brief amount of time if not one session.
The app it’s so easy to use. I use it while driving or cooking and is great. I love the fact that the chapters are short, so you can finish them quickly. Very knowledgeable.
The best app for self development.It helps to keep pace with your reading and also suggests the kind of reading material you might like.It is fun as you can switch from reading to listening and vice-versa as per your convenience .Just get started and partake of the treasure of knowledge at your fingertips .I feel lucky to have spotted the app.It has helped me become self-disciplined and much better informed.The audio track is excellent.
Exactly what I need! I always have booklist to read, but can't committed enough to finish/start bc of too much pages. Headway is really helpful and concise with their summary. What I love the most is that the essence of the book is well crafted, so I don't only read the key points, but also there's the story and how personality of the author still well shown through the summary. Well done!
This is outstanding best app ever and honestly whoever came up with is my app is an absolute genius kudos my gratitude definitely goes out and I’m only on my first week free trial and I’m certainly going to purchase this app annually. Now that I have it, I can’t even imagine living without it.