The Art of War
Sun Tzu Project By William Reinking
About Sun Tzu
Born in the fifth century B.C., Sun Wu (Sun Tzu was an honorary title) wrote the "rulebook" for warfare, or today as Art of War. Sun Tzu wrote his rule book 2,500 years ago with the purpose officially writing down requirements for generals and soldiers to be victorious on the battlefield. Even today, opinions and strategies of war is still studied by not just military officers, but business leaders and politicians as a road map to victory.
Compelling plot
In the book therre are no characters, this book was written in the fifth century B.C. by Sun Tzu, a man descended from a clan of warfare experts. This book covers everything from espionage to terrain to various situations one is likely to encounter and how to respond to them. The information this book contains seems basic and obvious, but it is incredible how many times it has been ignored by military leaders throughout history, often leading to their own destruction. This book is very interesting; the commentaries were especially informative. However, Sun Tzu only tells the reader what they should do; he leaves the "how" up to them, so to use this book effectively, the reader must be capable of applying his principles any and all possible contingencies. This makes the book mentally challenging, even though the text itself is quite simple. It is therefore possible to read this book and get nothing from it, if one is not prepared to do a lot of thinking.
Quotes from the book
- "The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself."
- "Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."
- "In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good.
Sun Tzu"
Would you enjoy this book?
In my opinion i feel like this book is only for a select few. There are no real characters in this book, there are lots of short battle stories but other than that the book is very philosophical. Also there is no real story line which makes it very hard to follow. Most people should give this book a try because you can learn lot from it and apply it to most every day things. As you read this book you might also find that it can relate to many aspects of life as well. It describes the aspects of a great leader and how his teammates, army men, and allies should follow their leader with the most confidence. Overall if you like a book that can relate to you as well as open your mind to a different view on things i highly recommend this book.
Good? Bad? Ill tell you what I think...
I really liked this book. Tho at times it was very hard to follow along in the end reflecting upon it I really loved it. like I said before this book is very philosophical. It's just as relevant now as it was when it was first written, not only in terms of military strategies, but in other areas as well such as business, where knowing your competition is the key to success.
Cittions
First picture- http://www.flickr.com/photos/r-y-d-a/8571377290/
second picture- http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Terracota_warrior_close-up.jpg
Third Picture- http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2392343615
Fourth picture- http://www.flickr.com/photos/elvire-r/2451784799/
second picture- http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Terracota_warrior_close-up.jpg
Third Picture- http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2392343615
Fourth picture- http://www.flickr.com/photos/elvire-r/2451784799/