"The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead."

"Never seem to be in a hurry - hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition."

"If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: better to enter with boldness. Everyone admires the bold; no one honours the timid."

"By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid as water."

"Conserve your forces by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper than by flitting from one shallow mine to another."

"Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people's actions. Turn the tables - be deliberately unpredictable. Behaviour that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves."