“For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.”

—  Sun Tzu

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

Original

是故百戰百勝，非善之善者也；不戰而屈人之兵，善之善者也。

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Sept. 27, 2023. History

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

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