“Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions.”

— Sun Tzu

The quote "Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness; travel by unex…" is famous quote by Sun Tzu (-543–-495 BC), ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher from the Zhou Dynasty.

Source: The Art of War, Chapter XI · The Nine Battlegrounds

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update March 5, 2024. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Sun Tzu68

ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosophe… -543–-495 BC

Related quotes

“A strong pursuit, give no time for the enemy to think, take advantage of victory, uproot him, cut off his escape route.”

Alexander Suvorov (1730–1800) Russian military commander

Quoted in V. Ye. Savkin, "Basic Principles of Operational Art and Tactics," 1972.

“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.”

Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) 18th President of the United States

Statement to John Hill Brinton, at the start of his Tennessee River Campaign, early 1862, as quoted in Personal Memoirs of John H. Brinton, Major and Surgeon U.S.V., 1861-1865 (1914) by John Hill Brinton, p. 239.
1860s

“Those in authority should take appropriate precautions to protect our citizens. But we will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life or restricting our freedoms.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

Remarks by the President In Photo Opportunity with the National Security Team http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010912-4.html, September 12, 2001 <br class="br">2000s, 2001

“The principle of enslaving human beings because they are inferior, is this. If a man is a cripple, trip him up. If he is old and weak, and bowed with the weight of years, strike him, for he cannot strike back. If idiotic, take advantage of him, and if a child, deceive him. This, sir, this is the doctrine of Democrats and the doctrine of devils as well, and there is no place in the universe outside the five points of hell and |the Democratic Party where the practice and prevalence of such doctrines would not be a disgrace.”

Owen Lovejoy (1811–1864) American politician

As quoted in His Brother's Blood: Speeches and Writings, 1838&ndash;64 https://books.google.com/books?id=qMEv8DNXVbIC&pg=PA193&lpg=PA193&dq=%22The+principle+of+enslaving+human+beings+because+they+are+inferior%22&source=bl&ots=YA6W9JoaPr&sig=aO15r4OJEVD8bQUIjM34u42GjXg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM9vuXwsrLAhWJeD4KHWvpAUcQ6AEIHjAB#v=onepage&q=%22The%20principle%20of%20enslaving%20human%20beings%20because%20they%20are%20inferior%22&f=false (2004), edited by William Frederick Moore and Jane Ann Moore, p. 193 <br class="br">1860s, Speech to the U.S. House of Representatives (April 1860)

“Now I have to define what I mean by "action". When a material body is transported from one point to another, it involves an action that depends on the speed of the body and on the distance it travels. However, the action is neither the speed nor the distance taken separately; rather, it is proportional to the sum of the distances travelled multiplied each by the speed at which they were travelled.”

Pierre Louis Maupertuis (1698–1759) French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters

Accord de différentes loix de la nature qui avoient jusqu’ici paru incompatibles (1744)

“Somewhere someone is traveling furiously toward you,
At incredible speed, traveling day and night,
Through blizzards and desert heat, across torrents, through narrow passes.
But will he know where to find you,
Recognize you when he sees you,
Give you the thing he has for you?”

John Ashbery (1927–2017) poet from the United States

A Wave (1984) <br class="br">Source: "At North Farm" ( Electronic Poetry Center: At North Farm https://writing.upenn.edu/epc/authors/ashbery/north.html)

“Strike an enemy once and for all. Let him cease to exist as a tribe or he will live to fly in your throat again.”

Shaka (1787–1828) leader of the Zulu Kingdom

Advice to King Dingiswayo on the treatment of the defeated Ndwandwe, reported in Shaka Zulu : The Rise of the Zulu Empire (1955) by E. A. Ritter, p. 50

“Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow; for an army routed, if hotly pursued, becomes panic-stricken, and can then be destroyed by half their number.”

Thomas Jackson (1824–1863) Confederate general

As quoted in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (1884 - 1888) edited by Robert Underwood Clarence C. Buel, Vol. II, p. 297
Context: Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow; for an army routed, if hotly pursued, becomes panic-stricken, and can then be destroyed by half their number. The other rule is, never fight against heavy odds, if by any possible maneuvering you can hurl your own force on only a part, and that the weakest part, of your enemy and crush it. Such tactics will win every time, and a small army may thus destroy a large one in detail, and repeated victory will make it invincible.

“Here is guy who came to us as a return specialist and defensive back and has developed into a very good receiver. Has always had great hands and he has become a very good route runner. With his speed, he is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball.”

Ted Ginn, Jr. (1985) American football wide receiver, kick returner

Jim Tressel, [Ted Ginn for the Heisman Trophy, Ohio State University Department of Athletics, 2006, http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/osu-m-footbl-ginn-quotes.html, 2006-10-30]
About Ginn

“If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.”

Bobby Troup (1918–1999) American actor and musician

Route 66, first sung by Nat King Cole, 1946
Song lyrics

“Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions.”

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Sun Tzu68

Related quotes

Related topics