Sun Tzu means very specific and important things when he says that "we must know ourselves and our enemies." The problem is that most of us lack a deep understanding of the concepts of which Sun Tzu speaks. This is why our victories are usually far from painless.

If you want to make your successes less painful, we strongly encourage you to learn Sun Tzu's strategy. Toward that goal, we hope this article has given you a little more understanding of what we mean by the "secrets of Sun Tzu." While Sun Tzu's work might seem like vague aphorisms, nothing could be further from the truth. Each line of Sun Tzu has a specific meaning and an array of valuable interpretations. Only study can teach you what success requires and why Sun Tzu's system has survived for millennia and grown in popularity.

You might want to read our article on planning versus strategy if you want to learn more about what Sun Tzu offers. If you already realize (as you should) that you need to learn more, we recommend that you start on the path to mastering strategy with any of our books or audios or one of our on-line strategy courses.