The Art of War is one of the most world renowned and influential texts about military strategy. It was written by Sun Tzu in the 5th Century BC. He was a successful military general, advisor and writer who revolutionised warfare in ancient China by pioneering new understandings of strategy and tactics like his infamous idea of asymmetrical warfare. The book consists of 13 chapters which each cover a different aspect of waging war and strategy and despite the advice in the book being well over 2500 years old; the information in it is still vitally relevant in our modern world and even in the legal sphere.

I stumbled across The Art of War at the start of 2025 and instantly recognised its insightful knowledge and was enthralled by potential application in life. The book's most famous quote, ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles’ finds vast application in all aspects of life. Whilst being relevant in aspects of life like sports and competitions in which an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of both your own party and the opponent are vital to victory; it is also relevant in legal sphere for competitions like mooting and negotiations in which a thorough understanding of the opposition’s case and characteristics or even knowledge of the judge’s character and potential questions they could ask could give you the edge towards victory.

Additionally, Sun Tzu describes how ‘The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.’ That is, needless conflict is a simple waste of resources, and one should develop the skill in order to distinguish the vital conflicts necessary to victory. This could materialise in a variety of ways in our lives from abandoning a weak argument in a debating competition to prioritise the vital points or during the final days before an exam when your cramming the content and only tackling the questions and subject that contribute the most marks to your exam.

Overall, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is a masterpiece of non-fiction and a book that I would very much recommend reading. My own reading of it and the principles and knowledge that I gained from it will continue to enrich and help my journey with the law.