#25: The Art of War - Sun Tzu

The Art of War is the Swiss army knife of military theory--pop out a different tool for any situation. Folded into this small package are compact views on resourcefulness, momentum, cunning, the profit motive, flexibility, integrity, secrecy, speed, positioning, surprise, deception, manipulation, responsibility, and practicality. Thomas Cleary's translation keeps the package tight, with crisp language and short sections. Commentaries from the Chinese tradition trail Sun-tzu's words, elaborating and picking up on puzzling lines.

• Kindle: 94 KB
• Print Length: 68 pages
• Publisher: Vigo Books (Dec 12 2011)
• ASIN: B007V5O8RS

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REVIEW:

What a different book. I picked it up, knowing it had been around forever and I had a mild curiosity what it had in it. I've quoted Sun Tzu often enough, especially in the old Quote meme I used to host, but felt weird having never read the book.

Amazon had it free and that was my golden opportunity to read it and see exactly what I had been missing.

Philosophy.

Aren't most philosophical statements just common sense told in parable? That's how I see them, and that was especially true in this book. Most of the points or statements Sun Tzu made, I felt were common sense if you just sat and thought about it.

I took time after each point/statement and thought hard about what it meant. Sometimes you didn't have to think hard at all, it was plain as day. Each one rang true, and each one was different from the last.

Look, I know we are not a world where every country is at war. But this book isn't just about fighting a war on land, it also touches on the wars we have within ourselves. 

Sadly, I don't think everyone will 'get' this book. Nor will everyone enjoying reading it, but I did. 

4/5