Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.
Sun TzuRead
It is a doctrine of war not to assume the enemy will not come, but rather to rely on one's readiness to meet him; not to presume that he will not attack, but rather to make one's self invincible.
Interpretation
Preparedness and resilience are essential in facing challenges.
This quote by Sun Tzu emphasizes the importance of being prepared for potential threats instead of assuming they won't occur. It advocates for a proactive mindset, encouraging individuals to focus on strengthening their own position and capabilities, thereby becoming 'invincible' in the face of adversity.
In practice
In a leadership seminar focused on crisis management.
Who does not know the evils of war cannot appreciate its benefits.
Great results, can be achieved with small forces.
To capture an enemies army is better than to destroy it.
The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand.
You can ensure the success of your attacks if you only attack places that are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked. Therefore, that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
It will be disastrous when a leader or manager shows up with one attitude one day and treats people with a different attitude the next day.
In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.
What job is worth the enormous psychic cost of following a leader who values loyalty in the narrowest sense.
The citizens of America expect more. They deserve and they want more than a recital of problems.
The more responsibility the Scoutmaster gives his patrol leaders, the more they will respond.
I ask particularly that those of you who are now in school will prepare yourselves to bear the burden of leadership over the next 40 years here in the United States, and make sure that the United States - which I believe almost alone has maintained watch and ward for freedom - that the United States meet its responsibility. That is a wonderful challenge for us as a people.
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