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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
challenging
tense
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
I found this a really interesting read as someone who ejoys reading and writing about fictional politics and war psychology. I understand arguments that the book was outdated because obviously he wrote this as a war general from 500 BC China who couldn't possibly expect his book to be read thousands of years later.
However, its obvious reading this that The Art of War is a foundational text that should definitely be at least partially read by anyone interested in political or military tactics.
However, its obvious reading this that The Art of War is a foundational text that should definitely be at least partially read by anyone interested in political or military tactics.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
This book, although it would be more helpful to war strategists who can take certain points literally, this book still has points that can be used today and are relevant in our ways of life.
informative
slow-paced
This is a great business book if you need to know all the situations in which it is appropriate to behead your own employees or the employees of your competitors. If you're shy about engaging in beheading, you may want to look elsewhere.
I found The Art of War surprisingly mediocre, given its reputation. In its time, it was probably a great book, but I don't think it has held up well. I obviously don't fault Sun Tzu for that, but I've given it two stars based on my lack of enjoyment of it and its current lack of relevance.
I found The Art of War surprisingly mediocre, given its reputation. In its time, it was probably a great book, but I don't think it has held up well. I obviously don't fault Sun Tzu for that, but I've given it two stars based on my lack of enjoyment of it and its current lack of relevance.
I'll be honest, I bought this book because I thought this edition looks cool. However, I also want to expand my reading horizons. For a book written in 500 BC, it is surprisingly still applicable. It is an unfortunate consequence of the human condition that a book written over 2500 still has relevance to the world today. Though it was primarily written as a book on military strategy, it can certainly be applied to modern day corporate environments, along with in sports and maybe even in the classroom.
It is split into 13 chapters, covering everything from preparation for war, to how to use terrain to your advantage. Although these cover a variety of topics, I feel a lot comes back to deception, and how long campaign is not conducive to a successful enterprise. These key concepts run through most of the chapters, and are constantly revisited.
Most of the problem I have with this is that most of it feels quite intuitive. It may be that Sun Tzu was just the first to write this down, or that the book has influenced the structure of our culture (I'd be more inclined to the former). This doesn't necessarily mean it's not useful to be contained in a single volume, or that the information is irrelevant. On the contrary, some of what is said might seem obvious when thought about, but it may not be at the forefront of your mind if you were to consider starting a war.
Some people get a lot from this book, whereas others don't. I found the excerpts at the beginning and end of my edition to be more interesting than the original contents of [b:The Art of War|10534|The Art of War|Sun Tzu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630683326l/10534._SY75_.jpg|3200649] itself. However, I know people who use some of its philosophies in their general life, and it helps them a lot. In this regard it's more like finding meaning applicable to your day to day life.
Most surprising was the fact that [a:Sun Tzu|1771|Sun Tzu|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1185211202p2/1771.jpg] seems to believe that war itself is pointless, it's the preparations you make beforehand that win the battle. The combat itself he doesn't have much instruction for, but using what you have to your advantage is key to victory. Although this seems obvious, I wasn't expecting that to be as much of the focus.
Overall, it's a somewhat interesting book. It's quite short and surprisingly digestible, so even if you don't like it then it won't take you long to read. And you might even take something small from it without realising it! It's worth a read, even if it's just for history or to say you've read it.
It is split into 13 chapters, covering everything from preparation for war, to how to use terrain to your advantage. Although these cover a variety of topics, I feel a lot comes back to deception, and how long campaign is not conducive to a successful enterprise. These key concepts run through most of the chapters, and are constantly revisited.
Most of the problem I have with this is that most of it feels quite intuitive. It may be that Sun Tzu was just the first to write this down, or that the book has influenced the structure of our culture (I'd be more inclined to the former). This doesn't necessarily mean it's not useful to be contained in a single volume, or that the information is irrelevant. On the contrary, some of what is said might seem obvious when thought about, but it may not be at the forefront of your mind if you were to consider starting a war.
Some people get a lot from this book, whereas others don't. I found the excerpts at the beginning and end of my edition to be more interesting than the original contents of [b:The Art of War|10534|The Art of War|Sun Tzu|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630683326l/10534._SY75_.jpg|3200649] itself. However, I know people who use some of its philosophies in their general life, and it helps them a lot. In this regard it's more like finding meaning applicable to your day to day life.
Most surprising was the fact that [a:Sun Tzu|1771|Sun Tzu|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1185211202p2/1771.jpg] seems to believe that war itself is pointless, it's the preparations you make beforehand that win the battle. The combat itself he doesn't have much instruction for, but using what you have to your advantage is key to victory. Although this seems obvious, I wasn't expecting that to be as much of the focus.
Overall, it's a somewhat interesting book. It's quite short and surprisingly digestible, so even if you don't like it then it won't take you long to read. And you might even take something small from it without realising it! It's worth a read, even if it's just for history or to say you've read it.
informative
fast-paced
informative
fast-paced
some solid advice if I ever decide to lead an army.