Summary
This short chapter covers fire attacks—using elemental force multipliers rather than direct engagement. Fire can destroy supplies, disrupt camps, and create chaos with minimal commitment of troops. But it requires specific conditions: dry weather, proper wind direction, proper timing. The broader principle is leverage: small inputs creating disproportionate effects. Fire is just one example; any force multiplier follows the same logic—understanding the conditions required and exploiting them. The chapter ends with a crucial leadership principle: 'Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.' Never fight from anger. Anger passes; the dead stay dead.
Coming Up in Chapter 13
Sun Tzu concludes with the art of using spies—the foundation of all strategic intelligence...
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An excerpt from the original text.(~161 words)
Sun Tzu said: There are five ways of attacking with fire. The first is to burn soldiers in their camp; the second is to burn stores; the third is to burn baggage trains; the fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines; the fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy. This short chapter covers fire attacks—using elemental force multipliers rather than direct engagement. Fire can destroy supplies, disrupt camps, and create chaos with minimal commitment of troops. But it requires specific conditions: dry weather, proper wind direction, proper timing. The broader principle is leverage: small inputs creating disproportionate effects. Fire is just one example; any force multiplier follows the same logic—understanding the conditions required and exploiting them. The chapter ends with a crucial leadership principle: 'Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.' Never fight from anger. Anger passes; the dead stay dead.
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Strategic Leverage
Seeking actions with disproportionate impact (leverage) while ensuring decisions are never driven by temporary emotions that produce permanent regrets.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
The ability to separate emotional reactions from strategic decisions—ensuring that temporary feelings never produce permanent consequences.
Practice This Today
For major decisions, build in a 24-hour delay when you're emotional. Ask: is this decision coming from strategy or from feeling?
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Attack by fire
Using leverage and force multiplication rather than direct engagement
Modern Usage:
Finding disproportionate impacts—small actions that create large results
Move not unless you see advantage
Never act without clear strategic purpose
Modern Usage:
Every initiative should have a clear 'why'—not just activity for activity's sake
Characters in This Chapter
Sun Tzu
Strategist teaching leverage and restraint
Shows that emotion—especially anger—is the enemy of strategy
Modern Equivalent:
The investor who never makes decisions when emotional
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical."
Context: The principle of purposeful action
Activity without purpose is waste. Every engagement should have clear strategic logic.
In Today's Words:
Don't do things just to do things. Every action should have a clear reason and expected return.
"A kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life."
Context: Warning against irreversible decisions made in anger
Anger passes; consequences don't. Strategic decisions must never be driven by emotion.
In Today's Words:
Some mistakes can't be undone. Never make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions.
Thematic Threads
Strategy
In This Chapter
Leverage—small actions with disproportionate results
Development
The theme of efficiency throughout Sun Tzu reaches its peak
In Your Life:
Where could you apply leverage—small actions with large impacts?
Wisdom
In This Chapter
Never act from anger; never fight without clear purpose
Development
Emotional discipline as the foundation of strategic success
In Your Life:
Have you ever made a permanent decision from temporary emotion?
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What 'leverage points' exist in your field—small actions that produce disproportionate results?
analysis • medium - 2
Have you ever made a permanent decision from temporary emotion? What happened?
reflection • deep - 3
How do you create space between emotion and action in your decision-making?
application • medium
Critical Thinking Exercise
The Leverage Hunt
Identify potential leverage points in your current work—small actions that could produce disproportionate results.
Consider:
- •What single relationship could unlock multiple opportunities?
- •What single action could shift perception broadly?
- •What conditions would need to exist for this leverage to work?
- •How do you create those conditions?
Journaling Prompt
Describe a time when you responded strategically rather than emotionally to a provocation. What did restraint gain you?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 13: The Use of Spies
What lies ahead teaches us intelligence is the foundation of all strategy, and shows us the five types of intelligence sources and how to use each. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.