12.013 Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent...

Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent, the good general is cautious. This is the Way of securing the nation, and preserving the army.

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POV

/// *** Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent, the good general is cautious. This is the Way of securing the nation, and preserving the army. *** ///

In life, one should be wise and cautious in all decisions. By doing that mistakes are minimized, his reputation to the surrounding people is preserved and his own organization remains in one happy piece.

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{* CARDINAL999 *}

"In the Field of Observation, Fortune Favors the Prepared (and the Bold)."

"The stillness in stillness is not the true stillness; only when there is stillness in motion does the universal rhythm manifest." - Old Daoist Text

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A good leader needs to be prudent and cautious. Recklessness can get anybody and everybody killed.

Gonzo

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When an enlightened ruler is prudent, the good general is cautious. Not only is the nation is secured and the army is preserved, the ruler and general becomes aware of the consequences of using a "fire" like attack.

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HAL BLEU
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"Think Strategically. ... Don't Compete Without It. " A.K. Dixit

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."

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Sun Tzu said, "Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent, the good general is cautious. This is the Way of securing the nation, and preserving the army."

The general uses his power with wisdom and never treats the situation of war as anything but the most serious condition that humans can put themselves into.

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[12.013] "Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent, the good general is cautious. This is the Way of securing the nation, and preserving the army. Sun Tzu.

Being prudent and cautious prevent us from making irreversible mistakes. It is better to be patient and remain still than to jump at the first "opportunity" and slip two steps back.

Fools talk of conquering, of gaining victory at the expense of others. They stir and muddy the water. They destroy without cause. They disrupt without purpose. The Tao shuns such behavior because the truly enlightened work within the parameters of nature, not outside of it.

What nature does not teach, the prudent and cautious leaders ensure the fool does not continue. The wise let him wear himself out, and then launch an attack of their own on the weakened attacker. They secure and preserve their organization, but can also grow merely through the mistakes of others.

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Tether your emotions

quote:

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Originally posted by sonshi
Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent, the good general is cautious. This is the Way of securing the nation, and preserving the army.

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Truthseeker


Suffering is the breaking of the shell that encloses our understanding


"Truth is narrowed down and made a plaything for those who are weak, for those who are only momentarily discontented. Truth cannot be brought down; rather the individual must make the effort to ascend to it."

Krishnamurti

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Prudent and cautious

This is probably one of the most understandable passages of the Sun Tzu. A good leader is prudent and a good general is cautious.

Sounds simple enough and will only probably take me the nest 30 years or so to full appreciate.

It is nicely said understated logic at it's best.

Pawn12

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During my career I have come to interpret the whole Chapter 12: Fire Attacks to mean information management in office politics. "Fire" is the information you can manipulate to achieve the same results as the enemy camp's reactions to a fire attack. The five types of fire attack correspond to the undermining of adversary's staff, reputation, resources, decision-making (planning), and networks. Rephrasing Sun Tzu, informational attacks cannot be successful without proper intelligence, optimal transfer of information/desinformation/rumors, and/or perfect timing.

The Chapter's concluding sentences should be carved in gold. After offering a majestic weapon, the Master hints at what pulls the trigger.

Certainly, if Sun Tzu did not exist, we'd have to create him. Otherwise the world would've been a much duller place...

===BETTER TO RULE IN HELL THAN SERVE IN HEAVEN===

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Re: 12.013 Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent...

quote:

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Originally posted by sonshi
Therefore, the enlightened ruler is prudent, the good general is cautious. This is the Way of securing the nation, and preserving the army.

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