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he Art of War has an unusual place in the canon of literature. For millennia, it has been a guiding document for effective military strategy. The short, concise nature of the essays not only allows for quicker understanding of the concepts, but also gives it a fair amount of timelessness and universality. While Sun Tzu does mention the use of chariots and other tools of his era, the fact that he does not expressly discuss such tools at length allows the text to translate to more modern applications. Feigning a direct attack, while attacking an enemy’s flank or rear with an indirect attack, was just as effective in the American Revolution, World War II tank maneuvers, or present-day combat, despite being described with chariots and footmen in the text. Maintenance of morale and supply lines (while subverting enemy morale and supply lines) are still premium tactics in warfare.

The more unusual (and interesting) success of The Art of War is its firmly established value in other competitive arenas. Coaches, finance executives, and even competitive gamblers often attribute success to the teachings of The Art of War. While the concise nature and other features make the book timeless for military application and certainly help in these other instances, it is likely the more philosophical concepts in the book that push it into other fields. There is a stress for knowing oneself, which could include one’s position on a team, the style of play of the entire team, a brand identity, or financial limitations. There is also a stress on knowing the enemy: the other team’s limitations, competing intellectual properties, the limits of other financial institutions. Sun Tzu stresses that one needs to know these things ahead of time and not discover them once “battle” has started. This also suggests the importance of information and organization.

Knowledge of the opposing sides is only a portion. One must understand all the elements of the engagement. For instance, Olympic Basketball has different rules than the NBA/WNBA or NCAA. If working as a team, organization goes beyond roles and labels. Sun Tzu discusses in various essays the need for strong but compassionate leadership. The simplicity of the overall concepts and the fact that they have proven effective for more than 2000 years are likely the reasons that a collection of military strategy essays have been read (and employed) by so many people in so many different walks of life.

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