Themes
All warfare is based on deception.
— Sun Tzu • The Art of War
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The speaker claims that every act of war rests on deceiving the opponent. On this view, strength alone is not the foundation of conflict; misleading appearances, feints and false impressions are. The aphorism presents trickery as war's basic principle rather than an occasional tactic.
Context reviewed