The Art of War

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It's a hit!

Many of the Chinese military tactics outlined in "The Art of War" seem harsh and cold yet they are insightful and instructive. These strategies, a... (show more)

Many of the Chinese military tactics outlined in "The Art of War" seem harsh and cold yet they are insightful and instructive. These strategies, although written in China over 2,000 years ago, are indeed timeless - one can pinpoint the relevance of some of these tactics to today's society, especially when operating within a competitive or hostile environment. I took from this book, for instance, that:-

- one must choose one's battles ( "where he is strong, avoid him"; also: "He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious").

- it is prudent at times for one to be humble ("pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance").

- Research, planning, organization and a positive attitude are important to success (..."the supreme requirements of generalship are ....an understanding of the seasons"; "Order or disorder depends on organization"; "...a victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle, an army destined to defeat fights in the hope of winning").

-Always have a plan "B", "C"... ("Plans and projects for harming the enemy are not confined to any one method").

-one should observe due diligence (""A road, although it may be the shortest, is not to be followed if one knows it is dangerous and there is the contingency of ambush."

-embrace change ("A general prizes opportune changes in circumstances").

-conquer your personal fears and grasp opportunities ("Hesitancy in a general is a great calamity").
(1963:63-155).

I am making a deliberate effort not to say any more about this book except that it is full of strategies one could employ for personal success. (show less)

 

 

by Havenol M. Douglas

No, it's a flop!

Interesting. The strategies of this book aren't limited to war. They can be applied in almost any venture that will bring opposition.

 

 

by Steve Johnson

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  This book is an immensely valuable read on many different levels. I think the least of which is the military aspect. Not taking away from it's value in that respect, it does a great job of teaching a strong, strategically focused mindset by combining basic human emotions and tendencies with the way to use them to your advantage in a multitude of situations. It's extremely important in this regard due to the fact it is the baseline on which every military operates.

  On the other levels I ... (show more)

  This book is an immensely valuable read on many different levels. I think the least of which is the military aspect. Not taking away from it's value in that respect, it does a great job of teaching a strong, strategically focused mindset by combining basic human emotions and tendencies with the way to use them to your advantage in a multitude of situations. It's extremely important in this regard due to the fact it is the baseline on which every military operates.

  On the other levels I believe it to be valuable would be everyday life. After you read the book you will be able to see that in common situations the writer's basic ideas still hold true and can be used effectively. To see my point here you must think of the book as a mindset, or a philosophy, other than just a military strategy book.

  This book is fairly dry and is a hard read in some parts, but the beauty of it is that you don't need to read it all in one go, you can pick it up and read it every now and then and not worry about forgetting something that happened before. It's a great book for the person looking to expand their mind. (show less)

   

  by Greg on May 12, 2009 at 09:21AM

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  What hasn't been said of this book? In parts, an ancient prescriptive for how to wage war - under these situations, put your archers on the hills; under those situations, get a valley between you and your foes. There's a tendency (especially modern) to interpret the text too loosely - oh, well, the hills are a metaphor for this, and your archers are that. No, the part where this text shines is that it is a forebearer to most subsequent thought (or, at least, effectively a first surviving comp... (show more)

  What hasn't been said of this book? In parts, an ancient prescriptive for how to wage war - under these situations, put your archers on the hills; under those situations, get a valley between you and your foes. There's a tendency (especially modern) to interpret the text too loosely - oh, well, the hills are a metaphor for this, and your archers are that. No, the part where this text shines is that it is a forebearer to most subsequent thought (or, at least, effectively a first surviving compendium of equigenerational cousins) and where the text describes the heuristics by which the more specific advice in the treatise is determined; and I think it's here where the book wins or loses the audience - either you're the kind of thinker for whom the "Why?" is important, and then while you may be familiar with some of the Whys from personal experience, they're all here and bundled up; or you're not, and this book is doubly useless to you, because you probably aren't leading an army concerned with standing against invading Mongolians today. (show less)

   

   

  by Daniel on Feb 17, 2009 at 03:49AM

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