Inspirational Quotes by Thomas Merton
“The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.”
“Pošleš-li muže do boje, pak čím déle bude trvat dosažení vítězství, tím více se otupí jejich zbraně a pohasne žár v jejich srdcích.”
“¡Divino arte de la sutileza y el secreto! Si se aprende a ser invisible, e inaudible, se puede tener la suerte del enemigo en las manos.”
“That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone dashed against an egg — this is effected by the science of weak points and strong.”
“In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack — the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.”
“If I know that my troops are capable of striking the enemy, but do not know that he is invulnerable to attack, my chance of victory is but half. If I know that the enemy is vulnerable to attack, but do not know that my troops are incapable of striking him, my chance of victory is but half. If I know that the enemy can be attacked and that my troops are capable of attacking him, but do not realize that because of the conformation of the ground I should not attack, my chance of victory is but half.”
“If one trusts solely to brave generals who love fighting, this will cause trouble. If one relies solely on those who are cautious, their frightened hearts will find it difficult to control the situation. Now the method of employing men is to use the avaricious and the stupid, the wise and the brave, and to give responsibility to each in situations that suit him. Do not charge people to do what they cannot do. Select them and give them responsibilities commensurate with their abilities. He who relies on the situation uses his men in fighting as one rolls logs or stones. now the nature of logs and stones is that one stable ground they are static; on unstable ground, they move. If square, they stop; if round, they roll.”
“Know the enemy, know yourself; your victory will never be endangered. Know the ground, know the weather; your victory will then be total.”
“Postaví-li se do čela vojska muž, který svou moudrostí na takový úkol nestačí, je domýšlivý. Postaví-li se do čela vojska muž, který svou odvahou na takový úkol nestačí, je chvástavý. Postaví-li se do čela vojska muž, který nezná Tao a neprožil dostatek bitev, je vydán štěstěně.”
“[The heading meansliterally "The Nine Variations," but as SunTzu does not appear to enumerate these, and as, indeed, he hasalready told us (V SS. 6-11) that such deflections from theordinary course are practically innumerable, we have little optionbut to follow Wang Hsi, who says that "Nine" stands for anindefinitely large number.”
“Vojáci jsou oddáni pěti věcem: Pro svého vojevůdce zapomenou na svou rodinu. Přejdou-li hranici, zapomenou na své příbuzné. Střetnou-li s nepřítelem, zapomenou na sebe. Jsou-li odhodláni zemřít, budou žít. Neustálá honba za vítězstvím je z těchto pěti nejmenší.”
“preserved in the T`UNG TIEN, and another in Ho Shin's commentary. It is suggested that before his interview with Ho Lu, Sun Tzu had only written the 13 chapters, but afterwards composed a sort of exegesis in the form of question and answer between himself and the King. Pi I-hsun, the author of the SUN TZU HSU LU, backs this up with a quotation from the WU YUEH CH`UN CH`IU: "The King”
“The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy.”
“Una operación militar implica engaño. Aunque seas competente, aparenta ser incompetente. Aunque seas efectivo, muéstrate ineficaz.”
“Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.”
“No hay más de cinco notas musicales, y sin embargo, las combinaciones de estas cinco dan lugar a más melodías de las que nunca se podrán oír.”
“Vojska mají pět jmen: První z nich je Hrozivě silné, druhé je Obrovsky domýšlivé, třetí je Pevné a neochvějné, čtvrté je Bázlivé a podezíravé, páté je Nejisté a slabé.”
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Thomas Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding.
Interest in his work contributed to a rise in spiritual exploration beginning in the 1960s and 1970s in the US. Merton's letters and diaries, reveal the intensity with which their author focused on social justice issues, including the civil rights movement and proliferation of nuclear arms. He had prohibited their publication for 25 years after his death. Publication raised new interest in Merton's life.