Inspirational Quotes by Thomas Merton

“the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.”

“Connais toi toi-même, connais ton ennemi, ta victoire ne sera jamais mise en danger. Connais le terrain, connais ton temps, ta victoire sera alors totale.”

“Él debe ser capaz de confundir a sus oficiales y soldados con informes y presentaciones falsas, y así mantenerlos en la ignorancia total.”

“«Quando soffia, il vento non lascia traccia, e muta direzione inaspettatamente. La maestosità della foresta è data dall’ordine. Il fuoco è avido perché dietro di sé non lascia un filo d’erba. Quando prendi posizione, sii fermo come la montagna».”

“The terrain leads to measurements; The measurements lead to estimates; The estimates lead to calculations; The calculations lead to weighing the options; The weighing leads to victory.5”

“Move only if there is a real advantage to be gained.”

“The reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge. What is called 'foreknowledge' cannot be elicited from spirits, nor from gods, nor by analogy with past events, nor from calculations. It must be obtained from men who know the enemy situation. There are five sorts of secret agents to be employed. These are native, inside, doubled, expendable, and living. When these five types of agents are all working simultaneously and none knows their method of operation they are called 'The Divine Skein' and are the treasure of a sovereign. Native agents are those of the enemy's country people whom we employ. Inside agents are enemy officials whom we employ. Among the official class there are worthy men who have been deprived of office; others who have committed errors and have been punished. There are sycophants and minions who are covetous of wealth. There are those who wrongly remain long in lowly office; those who have not obtained responsible positions, and those whose sole desire is to take advantage of times of trouble to extend the scope of their own abilities. There are those who are two-faced, changeable, and deceitful, and who are always sitting on the fence. As far as all such are concerned you can secretly inquire after their welfare, reward them liberally with gold and silk, and so tie them to you. Then you may rely on them to seek out the real facts of the situation in their country, and to ascertain its plans directed against you. They can as well create cleavages between the sovereign and his ministers so that these are not in harmonious accord. Doubled agents are enemy spies whom we employ. When the enemy sends spies to pry into my accomplishments or lack of them, I bribe them lavishly, turn them around, and make them my agents. Expendable agents are those of our own spies who are deliberately given fabricated information. We leak information which is actually false and allow our own agents to learn it. When these agents operating in enemy territory are taken by him they are certain to report this false information. The enemy will believe it and make preparations accordingly. But our actions will of course not accord with this, and the enemy will put the spies to death. Sometimes we send agents to the enemy to make a covenant of peace and then attack.”

“Nunca se debe atacar por cólera y con prisas. Es aconsejable tomarse tiempo en la planificación y coordinación del plan.”

“he not honestly believed the contrary. And it is precisely on such a point that the judgment of an educated Chinaman will carry most weight. Other internal evidence is not far to seek. Thus in XIII. ss. 1, there is an unmistakable allusion to the ancient system”

“If it is to your advantage, make a forward move; if not, stay where you are”

“Si sabes que tus soldados son capaces de atacar, pero ignoras si el enemigo es invulnerable a un ataque, tienes solo la mitad de posibilidades de ganar. Si sabes que tu enemigo es vulnerable a un ataque, pero ignoras si tus soldados son capaces de atacar, sólo tienes la mitad de posibilidades de ganar. Si sabes que el enemigo es vulnerable a un ataque y que tus soldados pueden llevarlo a cabo, pero ignoras si la condición del terreno es favorable para la batalla, tienes la mitad de probabilidades de vencer.”

“sé rápido como el trueno que retumba antes de que hayas podido taparte los oídos, veloz como el relámpago que relumbra antes de haber podido pestañear.”

“Practica las artes marciales, calcula la fuerza de tus adversarios, haz que pierdan su ánimo y dirección, de manera que aunque el ejército enemigo esté intacto sea inservible: esto es ganar sin violencia.”

“cuando te conoces a ti mismo y conoces a los demás, la victoria no es un peligro; cuando conoces el cielo y la tierra, la victoria es inagotable.”

“no combatas en un terreno de dispersión, no te detengas en un terreno ligero, no ataques en un terreno clave (ocupado por el enemigo), no dejes que tus tropas sean divididas en un terreno de comunicación. En terrenos de intersección establece comunicaciones; en terrenos difíciles, entra aprovisionado; en terrenos desfavorables, continúa marchando; en terrenos cercados, haz planes; en terrenos mortales, lucha.”

“was profound insight of a spiritual nature that could help me live my everyday life unconstrained by conflict, either with others or within myself. These”

“Generally in the case of armies you wish to strike, cities you wish to attack, and people you wish to assassinate, you must know the names of the garrison commander, the staff officers, the ushers, gate keepers, and the bodyguards. You must instruct your agents to inquire into these matters in minute detail. If you wish to conduct offensive war you must know the men employed by the enemy. Are they wise or stupid, clever or clumsy? Having assessed their qualities, you prepare appropriate measures.”

“طور قدرات مرؤوسيك: إن كنت واثقا من نفسك فعليك أن تثق بقدرات الآخرين أجب عن الطلبات ناصحا لكن لاتخض في التفاصيل بل اتركها لهم.”

“Sitúa a tus tropas en un punto que no tenga salida, de manera que tengan que morir antes de poder escapar. Porque, ante la posibilidad de la muerte, ¿qué no estarán dispuestas a hacer? Los guerreros dan entonces lo mejor de sus fuerzas. Cuando se hallan ante un grave peligro, pierden el miedo.Cuando no hay ningún sitio a donde ir, permanecen firmes; cuando están totalmente implicados en un terreno, se aferran a él. Si no tienen otra opción, lucharán hasta el final.”

“Love is our destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone, we find it with another.”