It is not too often one can read or listen to a 2600 year-old book and know that it still has relevance and importance today. The Art of War has long been considered not only a military classic, but a classic book in general. Sun Tzu’s treatise on various aspects and components of wartime strategy is highly recommended for insight into the Eastern mindset and military planning. It also can apply to business, legal and educational situations as well.
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"There is a reason this book is a classic. It is amazing and I will certainly be rereading it many, many times. There nothing like learning from the same book that has been highly utilized by so many great men throughout history. It is a very short read (took me about an hour) but it is time well invested."
— Paige (5 out of 5 stars)
“As a reflection of the Chinese mind, this little work is as relevant as any Confucian classic.”
— Times (London)“The most useful and important book ever written for aspiring leaders.”
— Toronto Sun Times“The Art of War is undisputedly one of the bestselling leadership books of all time…This message of victory without aggression still resonates with how we conduct all aspect of our lives today.”
— Publishers Weekly“The Art of War…has fascinated casual readers as well as business and military leaders with its unusually clear delineation of strategic thinking…This work has endured, not simply as a manual for the conduct of warfare but because of the depth of the principles on which it is based and their applicability to everyday life.”
— Library Journal" This was an interesting book - much shorter than I would have thought and much more of a narrative than I would have thought. I'm sure I will come back to this book a few more times over the next year or two. "
— Brian, 2/4/2014" Good, you can apply it to anything you want to do. "
— Justin, 1/30/2014" even it is small book,it needs understanding and really focusing ! a book to reread of course! "
— Ferzat, 1/25/2014" Superb...theories u can apply in any management field... "
— Khurram, 1/19/2014" Interesting, remember the Monty Python sketch about pirate companies attacking each other...this is board room reading apparently. "
— Adrian, 12/26/2013" I'm not sure why I expected complexity from such an old text, but I found this to be easy to read and understand. Sun Tzu's statements at first seem like common knowledge, but all common knowledge comes from somewhere, and our common understanding of the fundamentals of battle come from this book. "
— Ben, 12/26/2013" A fascinating self-contained philosophical argument. Just be sure to read a version with alternative translations and plenty of commentary. Otherwise, you will be puzzling over what are most likely linguistic errors. "
— David, 12/25/2013" Not as groundbreakingly insightful as I'd been led to believe it would be, but still interesting. "
— Brandy, 6/21/2013" When you are small in number, you must appear to be many. When you are near, you must appear to be far. When you are ready, you must appear to be unready. Good advice for every situation. "
— Kim, 5/31/2013" Wether for war or corporate strategy, everyone should read this for insights to living life better. "
— Aaron, 4/16/2013" I've read 2 translations and like Samuel B. Griffith's best. He does a good job of using footnotes to point out where he's going against other translators and give a wider view. "
— Boris, 1/18/2013" Interesting read. It was a little bit of a challenge because of all the commentary, but I enjoyed it. "
— Stan, 10/21/2012" Foundational book for military history. "
— Selika, 5/29/2012" Great philosophy that still applies to everyday situations! "
— Cody, 11/4/2011" I should have read this book 30 years ago! Amazing - have read it 3 times this year. "
— Rebecca, 10/30/2011" One of the dozen books every human being should read IMHO. "
— Michael, 9/18/2011" A should-read book on office politics which will happen to you and around you whether you participate in politics or not. "
— Lori, 8/16/2011" Read it backwards. Then see what happens "
— Tammy, 5/27/2011" Disappointing. I was expecting something deeper and more unknown. The book is very basic and very simple. I am sure at the time this work was written the substance was very wise and fresh but know it is just dull. "
— GhostlyAspect, 5/20/2011" I did not get this book. I'll be honested, i read the executive summary and i was told to read it to draw the parallels in modern business, but i really struggled to put two and two together. I can see how it'd be a great book from a military or strategic perspective, however. "
— Khuram, 5/17/2011" If they read "Art of War", you know their strategy. "
— Soli, 5/16/2011" This is a book tha needs to be read and re-read. There is so much information in it the brain cannot take it all in. "
— Maria, 5/14/2011" Makes you want to put on a suit and go take over something. "
— KJ, 5/12/2011" Hard to believe that this was concieved so many years ago yet it still holds so much insight into all types of conflict, even today. <br/>Amazing....... "
— Jon, 5/12/2011" The commentary sometimes gets in the way of the individual aphorisms, but sometimes that's critical so problems in translating can be understood by the reader. "
— Jim, 5/9/2011" This man taught me to fight when there's a clear objective. He also takes a lot of the chance out of the battle. "
— F., 5/8/2011" A deceptively simple and easy to read treatise actually holds quite a lot of interesting strategies not just to war but to life itself. "
— Kristin, 5/7/2011" Poetic and always confident, the Art of War is still capable of inspiring the modern man with its occasionally dated descriptions. <br/> <br/>This edition also includes a similar piece by Wu Tzu - also worth reading. "
— Sam, 5/3/2011" A must read for everyone in the military who happens to have common sense. If more military and political leadership would read this we would have more successful battles, unfortunately they do not. "
— Darrell, 4/29/2011" Short, but with some very interesting thoughts when the wisdom is applied widely. Or conversely, an interesting way to think about war in the modern day - how much still applies, and the few things that are outdated. "
— Alea, 4/28/2011Sun Tzu lived in China in the sixth and fifth centuries BC, serving as a general and strategist to the king of Wu. A philosopher and writer, his military stratagems, written over 2,500 years ago, are still pertinent today.
David Cochran Heath is a professional actor with more than 30 years of experience on the stage in over 130 productions. He is also a lifelong fan of radio theater and has done a variety of narration and character work. He lives in San Diego with his wife, Beth.