Chapter 2: Waging War
From Sun Tzu’s The Art of War (Lionel Giles translation, 1910).
A chapter on the economics of conflict. Sun Tzu warns that prolonged war exhausts the state: speed, living off the enemy’s supplies, and avoiding stalemate matter more than sheer force.
Key principles
- Prolonged campaigns drain the treasury and the people; win quickly or not at all.
- Use the enemy’s own resources to sustain your effort when you can.
- A victorious army is fed from the enemy; a starving army feeds itself.
Quotations from this chapter
Drawn from our sourced lesson database — each links to its permanent page with the full interpretation.
“There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.”
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“Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays.”
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“In the operations of war, a thousand chariots and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers will cost a thousand ounces of silver per day.”
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“If victory is long in coming, the men's weapons will grow dull and their ardour will be damped.”
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“If the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain.”
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Modern applications
- In business, keep campaigns short and self-funding; avoid initiatives that burn cash indefinitely.
- Acquisitions and partnerships should bring their own fuel, not depend on endless subsidies.
Related strategy topics
Sun Tzu on RiskSun Tzu for InvestorsSun Tzu on TimingSun Tzu for BusinessSun Tzu on LeadershipSun Tzu on ConflictSun Tzu on NegotiationSun Tzu on Decision-MakingSun Tzu on Competition
Frequently asked questions
What is the main point of Chapter 2 of The Art of War?
That the cost of war is the real enemy. Sun Tzu argues a long war bankrupts the winning side too, so the skilled commander ends the contest fast and lives off what the opponent already has.