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Weapons bode not well.
All creatures under heaven fear them.
Who follows the Way honors them not,
and adopts them only at the last.

Who prizes peace will not prettify a weapon.
Who prettifies a weapon finds delight in slaughter.
Who finds delight in slaughter is not fit
to steward creatures under heaven.

How should a commander in war position himself?
—Where he can see the sadness, not the triumph.
When many people die, one weeps in sorrow.
To mark a victory, mourn what is lost.

© Douglas Allchin 2002