VOLUME I

Chapter III
Victory Without Battle (Fusen ni Shōzu)
不戦而勝

The best victory is the one that leaves no battlefield.

Humans seem to be weirdly fond of unnecessary fights.

We defend our opinions because it would be sad not to;

We answer insults because it would be pathetic not to; We chase after people that refuse us because it would be embarassing not to; etc

So many of our "wars" are waged not out of necessity, but because pride will not accept anything else.

Sun Tzu realized that the most impressive victory of all is a victory that does not involve battle at all.

He was not cowardly, but simply wise. A coward would avoid battle because he would fear death; A wise person avoids battles because he understands that they should be avoided. A river does not seek to carve a path of destruction through a mountain range; it simply flows around the obstruction until it reaches the plain. The stoics realized something similar about strength; it is not measured in the ability to crush others, but to withstand pressure. Lao Tzu would likely have agreed, but from a slightly different angle. He advocated for gentleness because it is sometimes much harder to bend than to break.

Life rewards such insights.

Indeed, sometimes the best argument is not one. The best revenge is not a counter-attack, but sometimes, the best victory is not one at all. Not every door needs to be broken; not every insult answered; not every enemy defeated.

To win without needing to destroy is not the coward's way out; it is the mature way of seeing things and realizing that the battle is not worth it.