My Review of Sun Tzu The Art of War

Is it tacky to lead with a picture?

Recently I was reminded of a book that I bought a long time ago that I've always meant to read but just never got to. A lot of college friends have read it. Most of them were men. I don't think I personally know of any woman who have read it. If they did I wonder if it's by necessity for class (MBA programs) or maybe they're actually in the military or something. I dug around all the piles of books that I have with me, and I finally found my copy of Sun Tzu The Art of War. It's the version that was translated by Samuel B. Griffith. I found out the different translations push the readers in certain interpretation directions. I'm aware that this version is translated slightly more geared for business readers, and the author leaves more room for interpretation.I'm no literary expert. All I know is, for my purposes, this version is good enough.

This isn't so much a review, but more just my takeaways and reaction to the text. Before I start, I want to say that I did read a handful of reviews on amazon. First a couple of the really bad 1-star reviews, and then a couple of the 5-star reviews. I'm guessing most of the people who wrote the 1-star reviews are probably kids, and/or people who haven't had extensive business world experience and read the book for the wrong reasons and from a point in their lives where they have too little to draw from, and relate. I'd say that I picked a really good time to read this book, but I wish I had read this a year ago. Other than that, I know that this book would have been completely meaningless to me 5 years ago when I picked it up. Now that I have a good 5 years of work experience under my belt, and have been keeping up with the latest episodes of Mad Men, I find it extremely relevant. I'm sure if I picked this book up again in a few more years, I'd find even more relevance of the text.

I think what I will do is copy down some quotes from the book that I think summarizes the meaningful things to me nicely. Everything you see below in quotes are pulled straight from the text and I take no credit for them:


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'The Supreme Art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting'

1. moral influence
2. weather
3. terrain
4. command
5. doctrine

'all warfare is based on deception'

'what is of the greatest importance in war is extraordinary speed'

'to subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill'

'your aim must be to take all-under-heaven intact. thus your troops are not worn out and your gains will be complete. this is the art of offensive strategy'

'if one ignorant of military matters is sent to participate in the administration of the army, then in every movement there will be disagreement and mutual frustration, and the entire army will be hamstrung.'

'a victory gained before the situation has crystallized is one the common man does not comprehend. thus it's author gains no reputation for sagacity. before he has bloodied his blade the enemy state has already submitted'

'the Tao is the way of humanity and justice. laws are regulations and institutions. those who excel at war first cultivate their own humanity and justice and maintain their laws and institutions.'

'one who sets his entire army in motion to chase an advantage will not attain it'

'do not gobble proffered baits'

'the general must rely on his ability to control the situation to his advantage as opportunity dictates. he is not bound by established procedures.'

'five qualities that are dangerous'
1. reckless
2. cowardly
3. quick-tempered
4. too delicate sense of honour
5. compassionate

'know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.'

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After reading through Sun Tzu's text, I realize that there really are excellent and solid strategic advice to any project manager. I have been doing a lot of project management work, and it has been an extremely valuable learning experience for me. It really pulled me in all directions in terms of strategic communications, how to mitigate risks, thinking creatively and outside the box, executing on speed, knowing what levers I had to work with, and making dynamic decisions aligned to business strategy.

All in all, I can say that reading this book doesn't miraculously turn you into a sagacious leader of business teams, or a courageous and prudent military general. It does however shed light on my experiences, and made me more aware and conscientious of the tactics that have a proven track of success/victory.

One thing that I feel the book doesn't cover is the concept of "managing expectations". Should there be a followup to this book for the people who are not generals to read? The generals know what to do now, but the foot soldiers like myself are lost.

Other things that I didn't cover in my above quoted text include some further readings in espionage, different types of grounds, the necessity of leaders to induce fear in order to gain respect and setting things on fire. I know that was a a bit of a general summary. But as you can tell from my summaries that I left out most of the tactical stuff, I'm not one to fight wars.

My final takeaway from the book. I don't have what it takes to be a general who can lead men and win wars. I can practice these tactics, and be aware of them when thrown into a war, but I hate the practice of deceit, and the act of espionage. I know they seem sound in the grand scheme of things, but I cannot. War really isn't for everyone.