The Art of War

The Art Of War is a classic military primer written around 500 BC by Sun Tzu. Written in China, it has influenced Chinese military leaders all the way up to, and including Mao Tse-Tung.

Mao's own works give evidence to the impact of Sun Tzu on his life. See:


Sun Tzu said that war was important to survival and should be considered using 5 fundamental factors:

1. moral influence


2. weather


3. terrain


4. command


5. doctrine

This book is full of short lists. The five sorts of secret agents:

1. native


2. inside


3. doubled


4. expendable


5. living

The five methods of attacking with fire:

1. burn personnel


2. burn stores


3. burn equipment


4. burn arsenals


5. incendiary missiles

Five qualities which are dangerous in the character of a general:

1. recklessness -- he can be killed


2. cowardly -- he can be captured


3. quick-tempered -- you can make a fool of him


4. too delicate a sense of honor -- you can make up lies and falsehoods about him


5. compassionate -- you can harass him

The Art Of War has several short memorable statements and suggestions. Here are some of my favorites.

"All warefare is based on deception."

"Victory is the main object in war."

"To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

"Generally, management of many is the same as management of few. It is a matter of organization."

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Dale Cranegie's How to Win Friends & Influence People was first published in 1936. And it's as applicable today as it was then.

This book is a classic on how to get along with anyone. The principles he presents are simple and deceptively easy to apply. I have tried most of them. I am amazed every time they work exactly like he said they would!



How to Win Friends & Influence People



How to Win Friends & Influence People

Chasing Daylight and Perfect Moments

Title: Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life
Author: Eugene O'Kelly with Andrew Postman and Corinne O'Kelly
Publisher: McGraw-Hill: New York
ISBN: 978-0-07-149993-4

Gene O'Kelly was elected chairman and CEO of KPMG(US) in 2002. A leadership role he was performing in May 2005 when he was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and given three months to live.

Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life is the story of how he adjusted his life so that he could die well. An account of how he maximized the last 100 days of his life, despite debilitating brain cancer. Or maybe better put, because of it.

An accountant by training, he rose through the ranks to become chairman and CEO. Then quit abruptly upon diagnosis of brain cancer. He describes the diagnosis as a gift. It gave him the opportunity to radically alter his life. And while 100 days is a short time frame, at least it's a time frame. Some people get none

Suggestions I took away from reading this book:

(p.14) 1. Consider taking the time to plan my final weeks and months on earth. And to do it now.

(p.52) 2. Live fearlessly. Clarity of mission, commitment, and execution.

(p. 62) 3. Focus on quality and depth when you don't have a lot of time left (quantity).

(p.73) 4. Live completely in the moment -- don't think about the future or reflect on the past -- live in the moment, completely absorbed.

(p. 99) 5. Define what a good good-bye looks like for me.

(p. 110) 6. Attempt to turn lifes ocassions into Perfect Moments.

(p. 111) 7. Be open to Perfect Moments when they occur without my efforts.

(p. 132) 8. Realize that enough Perfect Moments strung together make a Perfect Day.

Overall, a profoundly emotional book for me.