Welcome to Mark McNeilly’s Sun Tzu blog, the purpose of which is to take the quote of the week and explain its relevance. Feel free to email it to others.
War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied
This is the first quote in Sun Tzu’s ancient classic on strategy, The Art of War. In this opening quotation Sun Tzu places great responsibility on the shoulders of those who lead countries; they must understand warfare through study and analysis. Obviously, history has many examples of leaders who have ignored this wisdom and led their country to ruin. The leaders of the warring nations of World War I wasted the lives of millions in their rush to battle and their short-sighted approach to waging it.
Today Sun Tzu’s wisdom is applied to business in addition to warfare. There his words ring true as well; to be successful, business leaders also must understand the competitive nature of business. The rest of Sun Tzu’s Art of War goes on to explain his strategic philosophy. The wise leader will avail himself of its wisdom.
