“A skilled commander seeks victory from the situation and does not demand it of his subordinates.”
Variant: The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage and does not demand it from his men.
Source: The Art of War, Chapter V · Forces
Original
故善战者，求之于势，不责于人。
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Sun Tzu 68
ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosophe… -543–-495 BCRelated quotes
Flying Lessons https://www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/library/documents/2009/Jan/31383/FLYING%20LESSONS%20090108.pdf, Federal Aviation Administration (8 January 2008)
Source: What Is This Thing Called Science? (Third Edition; 1999), Chapter 1, Science as knowledge derived form the facts of experience, p. 8.
The Analects, The Doctrine of the Mean
Context: The superior man does what is proper to the station in which he is; he does not desire to go beyond this. In a position of wealth and honor, he does what is proper to a position of wealth and honor. In a poor and low position, he does what is proper to a poor and low position. Situated among barbarous tribes, he does what is proper to a situation among barbarous tribes. In a position of sorrow and difficulty, he does what is proper to a position of sorrow and difficulty. The superior man can find himself in no situation in which he is not himself. In a high situation, he does not treat with contempt his inferiors. In a low situation, he does not court the favor of his superiors. He rectifies himself, and seeks for nothing from others, so that he has no dissatisfactions. He does not murmur against Heaven, nor grumble against men. Thus it is that the superior man is quiet and calm, waiting for the appointments of Heaven, while the mean man walks in dangerous paths, looking for lucky occurrences.
Speech at the Opening of the Bandung Conference
Variant translations
Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities... It is best to win without fighting.
Source: The Art of War, Chapter III · Strategic Attack
“A skillful Artist in shapes and appearances does no more than necessary to create His effect.”
Job: A Comedy of Justice (1984)
Context: Time is never a problem on the God level. Or space. Whatever needed to deceive you was provided. But no more than that. That is the conservative principle in art at the God level. While I can't do it, not being at that level, I have seen a lot of it done. A skillful Artist in shapes and appearances does no more than necessary to create His effect.
“Skill is a function of chance. It’s an intuitive best-use of chance situations.”
Source: Solar Lottery (1955), Chapter 5 (p. 60)
Leviticus 26:1-13
God doesn't believe in atheists (2002)