Sun Tzu: The Art of War

If you haven't read Sun Tzu's The Art of War, you're missing a treat. When I was in college, one of my fraternity brothers had a habit of pulling out a Sun Tzu quote every time we had a speaking event (that's you if you're out there, Dan!).


Interestingly, what most know about Sun Tzu is that he was a warrior who wrote down his strategy and tactics, and that these writings were preserved for all time. Actually, there's some discussion around if he existed, when he existed, and even if the stories attributed to him are true! However there is little disagreement that The Art of War influenced Eastern war making and thought for centuries.

In the past several decades, the West has discovered that The Art of War is applicable not only in war, but that the lessons Sun Tzu shared can be mapped to most any endeavor. It's been translated to English many times over, and it's hard to imagine the number of books that map the lessons to other disciplines and organizations. I'm reading one now: Sun Tzu for Execution: How to Use The Art of War to Get Results. You'll see it in a future post.

Pick up a copy so you can jot notes in the margins (or in your Kindle). Until then, our friends at MIT have provided an online version translated by Lionel Giles – no charge. :) Using Giles' translation...Here's a snippit that might be fun in the office: “if your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”

It's a wonderful, very quick read.