The Art of War
The Definitive Translation with Over Two Million Copies Sold
The most prestigious and influential book on strategy and dealing with conflict, beautifully translated for clear, accessible reading--including commentaries by other ancient Chinese philosophers and strategists. From esteemed translator Thomas Cleary and including commentary from philosophers such as Cao Cao, Du Mu, and Du You, this timeless Chinese classic captures the essence of military strategy used in ancient East Asia, with lessons on how to handle conflict confidently, efficiently, and successfully. As Sun Tzu teaches, aggression and response in kind can lead only to destruction--we must learn to work with conflict in a more profound and effective way. Crucial to this strategic vision is knowledge--especially self-knowledge--and a view of the whole that seeks to bring the conflicting ideas around to a larger perspective. The techniques and instructions discussed in The Art of War apply to competition and conflict on every level, from the interpersonal to the international. A study of the anatomy of forces in conflict, it has been discovered by modern businesspeople who understand the principles it contains are as useful for understanding the interactions of modern corporations as they are for understanding the tactics of ancient Chinese armies. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through an understanding of the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict. Thomas Cleary's translation is a breakthrough achievement that has been a gold standard among translations for three decades, offering the complete text in eminently readable prose with short commentaries by other ancient Chinese strategists and philosophers interwoven throughout. Cleary's work allows innumerable insights to be discovered through this translation millennia after this oral teaching was first set down.
The most prestigious and influential book on strategy and dealing with conflict, beautifully translated for clear, accessible reading--including commentaries by other ancient Chinese philosophers and strategists. From esteemed translator Thomas Cleary and including commentary from philosophers such as Cao Cao, Du Mu, and Du You, this timeless Chinese classic captures the essence of military strategy used in ancient East Asia, with lessons on how to handle conflict confidently, efficiently, and successfully. As Sun Tzu teaches, aggression and response in kind can lead only to destruction--we must learn to work with conflict in a more profound and effective way. Crucial to this strategic vision is knowledge--especially self-knowledge--and a view of the whole that seeks to bring the conflicting ideas around to a larger perspective. The techniques and instructions discussed in The Art of War apply to competition and conflict on every level, from the interpersonal to the international. A study of the anatomy of forces in conflict, it has been discovered by modern businesspeople who understand the principles it contains are as useful for understanding the interactions of modern corporations as they are for understanding the tactics of ancient Chinese armies. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through an understanding of the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict. Thomas Cleary's translation is a breakthrough achievement that has been a gold standard among translations for three decades, offering the complete text in eminently readable prose with short commentaries by other ancient Chinese strategists and philosophers interwoven throughout. Cleary's work allows innumerable insights to be discovered through this translation millennia after this oral teaching was first set down.
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Community Reviews
Some interesting applications to business and modern life in this ancient guide. I suspect that most of it can be read as a metaphor for life.
I'm reading some of the commentaries now, but on its own, it doesn't make a huge impression on me. It has some good points. The focus on the compassion of the ruler and "the way" was particularly interesting. (Now I also want to read The I Ching / Book of Changes which discussed "the way." I read the Tao Te Ching.) Overall, though it doesn't give a lot of context inside the text, or have much that will make an impression in my memory.
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