60 Strategy Quotes

In both business and life, strategy plays a crucial role in steering us towards our goals. Whether you're an executive planning the future of your company, an entrepreneur navigating the turbulent waters of a start-up, or an individual aiming to achieve personal aspirations, the right strategies can make all the difference. To inspire and guide you on your journey, we've curated a collection of the top 60 strategy quotes. These pearls of wisdom offer insights from some of the greatest minds in history, providing you with valuable perspectives to approach your challenges with confidence and clarity. Dive in, and let these quotes fuel your strategic thinking and decision-making.

1. “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

2. “**New business concepts are always, always the product of lucky foresight.**That's right - the essential insight doesn't come out of any dirigiste planning process; it comes form some cocktail of happenstance, desire, curiosity, ambition and need. But at the end of the day, there has to be a degree of foresight -- a sense of where new riches lie. So radical innovation is always one part fortuity and one part clearheaded vision.[first-line bold by author][2002] p.23” - Gary Hamel

3. “... all too often, a successful new business model becomes the business model for companies not creative enough to invent their own.[2002] p.46” - Gary Hamel

4. “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win” - Sun Tzu

5. “Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft!” - Theodore Roosevelt

6. “We do not place especial value on the possession of a virtue until we notice its total absence in our opponent.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

7. “The man of thought who will not act is ineffective; the man of action who will not think is dangerous.” - Richard M. Nixon

8. “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” - Michael Porter

9. “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” - Sun Tzu

10. “I need you to be clever, Bean. I need you to think of solutions to problems we haven't seen yet. I want you to try things that no one has ever tried because they're absolutely stupid.” - Orson Scott Card

11. “It is a long-cherished tradition among a certain type of military thinker that huge casualties are the main thing. If they are on the other side then this is a valuable bonus.” - Terry Pratchett

12. “That's when I realized that as long as you don't broadcast your beefs, you can get away cold with murder. It's even better if you don't allow the beef to take place. If someone disrespects you, you can know in your heard that you're going to get him, but you don't have to show him there's a beef. You can just look at it like, Okay, this nigga must not know. And then you fall back and you put it down.” - 50 cent

13. “I'd paralyze anyone who wanted to hurt me.” - Toba Beta

14. “Numerical superiority is of no consequence. In battle, victory will go to the best tactician."- G. A. Custer” - Robert Lynn Asprin

15. “When you know your enemy is invincible,run and hide, or may do business with him.” - Toba Beta

16. “The eminent strategy had won yesterday,but defeat will be felt by enemy tomorrow.” - Toba Beta

17. “Be a surfer. Watch the ocean. Figure out where the big waves are breaking and adjust accordingly.” - 37signals

18. “If you don't have a righteous objective,eventually you will suffer. When you do the right thing for the right reason,the right result awaits.” - Chin Ning Chu

19. “This is stupid.""Look. You think how stupid people are most of the time. Old men drink. Women at a village fair. Boys throwing stones at birds. Life. The foolishness and the vanity, the selfishness and the waste. The pettiness, the silliness. You think in war it must be different. Must be better. With death around the corner, men united against hardship, the cunning of the enemy, people must think harder, faster, be...better. Be heroic.Only it's just the same. In fact do you know, because of all that pressure, and worry, and fear, it's worse. There aren't many men who think clearest when the stakes are highest. So people are even stupider in war than the rest of the time. Thinking about how they'll dodge the blame, or grab the glory, or save their skins, rather than about what will actually work. There's no job that forgives stupidity more than soldiering. No job that encourages it more.” - Joe Abercrombie

20. “No one can take the shot for you.” - Lorii Myers

21. “Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane.” - Criss Jami

22. “No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.” - Horatio Nelson

23. “That should have been my strategy! By the time I’ve worked through the emotions of surprise, admiration, anger, jealousy, and frustration, I’m watching that reddish mane of hair disappear into the trees well out of shooting range.” - Suzanne Collins

24. “In my experience, the content strategist is a rare breed who's often willing and able to embrace whatever role is necessary to deliver on the promise of useful, useable content.” - Kristina Halvorson

25. “Vessels large may venture more, But little boats should keep near shore.” - Benjamin Franklin

26. “Previous journeys in search of treasure have taught me that a zigzag strategy is the best way to get ahead.” - Tahir Shah

27. “If your enemy offers you two targets, strike at a third.” - Robert Jordan

28. “Always leave a way out, unless you really want to find out how hard a man can fight when he’s nothing to lose.” - Robert Jordan

29. “It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.” - Jefferson Smith

30. “To be honest, one can only feel glad that so many modern iconoclasts consider Christianity to be full of exceptionally hypocritical, religious zealots - it's biblically accurate and a prophecy fulfilled. The old smoke screen is one of Satan's favorite tricks. He conceals the authentic. He has a persistent strategy of targeting those who remind him of Christianity because he fears those who remind him of Christ.” - Criss Jami

31. “Strategy is about shaping the future.” - Max Mckeown

32. “Strategy is about out-thinking your competition. Mark Zuckerberg, while at Harvard, built a website called Facemash ‘for fun’. Even today, Facebook believe that ‘done is better than perfect’.” - Max Mckeown

33. “Give serious thought to why your company should care about your strategy. Specifically, find problems that the board wants to be solved. What are senior managers scared of? Part of becoming a credible strategic thinker is learning effective approaches to selling ideas for your situation. You’ll know that you’re getting better at selling (or pitching) strategy when managers start coming to you when there is strategic thinking to be done.” - Max Mckeown

34. “Strategy is not really a solo sport – even if you’re the CEO.” - Max Mckeown

35. “Cole envisioned the next few weeks passing as a sort of painless montage: there'd be music, and different moments of the townspeople hard at work building a defensive wall around the perimeter of the town, and digging holes to serve as traps, and training with the few weapons they had. There'd be a wiping of perspiration and drinks raised to one another and the exchange of friendly smiles between comrades, and perhaps deeper, more meaningful glances between him and MaryAnn.But by midmorning of the first day, Cole had come to the unavoidable conclusion that the remainder of the experience would in fact drag on in exceedingly real time, with lots of heaving and hoing and digging and hauling under the hot sun, full of the kind of intense straining that raised the danger of a really spectacular hernia. And, judging from the few tense conversations he'd had so far, he foresaw a series of increasingly strident arguments with Nora regarding matters strategic. Plus, of course, at the end of all this effort they'd all probably be dead.” - Michael Rubens

36. “Strategy is a commodity, execution is an art.” - Peter Drucker

37. “The doctrine of "exit strategy" fundamentally misunderstands the nature of war and, more generally, the nature of historical action. for the knowledge of the end is not given to us at the beginning.” - Leon Wieseltier

38. “To withdraw isn't a sign of weakness... It is a sign that a man knows the limits of his capabilities and the most probable outcome of the future. One who retreats to fight another day isn't running away, but looking for another road towards the same destination.” - Lionel Suggs

39. “Sturm, Swung, Wucht” - Erwin Rommel

40. “Brilliant strategy is the best route to desirable ends with available means.” - Max Mckeown

41. “Following the rules of your industry will only get you so far.” - Max Mckeown

42. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity” - Sun Tzu

43. “Whenever we want to combat our enemies, first and foremost we must start by understanding them rather than exaggerating their motives.” - Criss Jami

44. “If you drop assumptions, and can anticipate the possibilities, you can master the art of strategy. However, if you can only manipulate probability, you can only create a path to victory. But remember, plans can break down. The future is always a step ahead of you. The key is being able to manipulate probability and plan for uncertainty. This way, you don't have to create a path to victory, but manipulate all options so that all paths lead to a victory.” - Lionel Suggs

45. “If your opponent is of choleric temper,  seek to irritate him.  Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.” - Sun Tzu

46. “If his forces are united, separate them.” - Sun Tzu

47. “do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat” - Sun Tzu

48. “So long as victory can be attained,  stupid haste is preferable to clever dilatoriness.” - Sun Tzu

49. “Knowing the enemy enables you to take the offensive, knowing yourself enables you to stand on the defensive.” - Sun Tzu

50. “first lay plans which will ensure victory, and then lead your army to battle;  if you will not begin with stratagem but rely on brute strength alone, victory will no longer be assured” - Sun Tzu

51. “You can be sure of succeeding in your attacks if you only attack places which are undefended.” - Sun Tzu

52. “If those who are sent to draw water begin by drinking themselves, the army is suffering from thirst. [One may know the condition of a whole army from the behavior of a single man.]” - Sun Tzu

53. “If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak. ” - Sun Tzu

54. “To begin by bluster, but afterwards to take fright at the enemy's numbers, shows a supreme lack of intelligence.” - Sun Tzu

55. “When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy.” - Sun Tzu

56. “Danger has a bracing effect.” - Sun Tzu

57. “Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.” - Sun Tzu

58. “Be stern in the council-chamber, [Show no weakness, and insist on your plans being ratified by the sovereign.] so that you may control the situation.” - Sun Tzu

59. “At first, then, exhibit the coyness of a maiden,  until the enemy gives you an opening; afterwards emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you.” - Sun Tzu

60. “Never venture, never win!” - Sun Tzu