“Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more confidential than those relating to secret operations.”

—  Sun Tzu

Source: The Art of War, Chapter XIII · Intelligence and Espionage

Original

故三军之事,莫亲于间,赏莫厚于间,事莫密于间,

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

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more l…" by Sun Tzu?
Sun Tzu photo
Sun Tzu 68
ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosophe… -543–-495 BC

Related quotes

George Sand photo

“There are no more thorough prudes than those who have some little secret to hide.”

George Sand (1804–1876) French novelist and memoirist; pseudonym of Lucile Aurore Dupin
Sara Shepard photo

“… the only way to keep your secrets safe is to have none at all…”

Sara Shepard (1973) Author

Source: Stunning

Persius photo

“None, none descends into himself, to find
The secret imperfections of his mind.”

Ut nemo in sese tentat descendere! nemo! Sed praecedenti spectatur mantica tergo.

Persius (34–62) ancient latin poet

Satire IV, line 23 (translated by John Dryden).
The Satires

Lewis Carroll photo

“Tis a secret: none knows how it comes, how it goes:
But the name of the secret is Love!”

Source: Sylvie and Bruno Concluded (1893), Chapter 19: A Fairy Duet

Leo Buscaglia photo
Abraham Lincoln photo

“It has been said that one bad general is better than two good ones, and the saying is true if taken to mean no more than that an army is better directed by a single mind, though inferior, than by two superior ones at variance and cross-purposes with each other. And the same is true in all joint operations wherein those engaged can have none but a common end in view and can differ only as to the choice of means.”

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) 16th President of the United States

1860s, First State of the Union address (1861)
Context: It has been said that one bad general is better than two good ones, and the saying is true if taken to mean no more than that an army is better directed by a single mind, though inferior, than by two superior ones at variance and cross-purposes with each other. And the same is true in all joint operations wherein those engaged can have none but a common end in view and can differ only as to the choice of means. In a storm at sea no one on board can wish the ship to sink, and yet not unfrequently all go down together because too many will direct and no single mind can be allowed to control.

Elizabeth Bear photo
Cao Xueqin photo
Bob Dylan photo

“Now at midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do”

Bob Dylan (1941) American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and artist

Song lyrics, Highway 61 Revisited (1965), Desolation Row

Related topics