The Art of War Is an Overrated Book

The Art of War — a slim little pamphlet written by a guy named Sun Tzu, who may or may not have even existed.

People talk about this book like it’s a secret weapon.

CEOs love it.

Life coaches quote it.

That guy from your college dorm with the crypto hustle?

Big fan.

And me? I read it. Twice.
Still didn’t feel smarter.
Felt like I’d been conned.

So let’s talk about why this “classic” is about as overrated as a TED Talk given by a guy in flip-flops.

1. It’s Just Platitudes in Fancy Robes

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”

Great. And if you know how to boil pasta, you won’t starve.

Most of the book is fortune-cookie wisdom with the charisma of a damp sponge.

It sounds deep because it’s vague. You can project anything onto it.

That’s not strategy — that’s a horoscope.

2. Sun Tzu Didn’t Write It for You, Chad from Sales

This was written for ancient Chinese generals leading troops with spears, not you managing Karen in Accounting.

Translating battlefield tactics into business strategy is like using a meat cleaver to butter toast.

Sure, you can, but everyone ends up bleeding.

3. It’s a Book Everyone Loves to Pretend They Read

Most fans quote it because they saw it on a Reddit thread or on the shelf behind a YouTuber with slick hair.

I’ve met dozens of people who swear by it — none could explain the plot because there isn’t one.

Spoiler: it’s not a story. It’s just short, cryptic chunks of advice.

It’s the IKEA manual of ancient warfare, just with fewer illustrations.

4. There’s No Heart in It

Sun Tzu — or the committee that stitched his name onto it — wrote a book colder than a tax auditor’s handshake.
No emotion.
No humanity.
Just tactics, baby.
It’s chess played by ghosts.
Say what you want about other military texts, but at least they make you feel something.
This one? It’s like making love to a spreadsheet.

5. It’s Used to Justify All Kinds of BS

Want to manipulate your coworkers?
Read The Art of War.
Want to treat people like pawns in a sociopathic game of office domination?
Sun Tzu’s got your back.
The book has become a bible for control freaks.
It’s Machiavelli dipped in soy sauce.

6. It’s a Bad Weapon for Modern Minds

We live in a world of chaos.

People don’t follow linear logic anymore — they scroll past your strategy mid-TikTok.

The kind of slow, deliberate thinking this book champions has a place — maybe in chess tournaments or submarine command rooms — but not on Monday mornings with five Zoom calls and a Slack channel imploding.

The book wasn’t built for this speed, and it shows.

7. There Are Better, Bloodier, Truer Books

You want strategy? Read On War by Clausewitz.

Want grit? Read Dispatches by Michael Herr.

Want to understand real chaos? Bukowski’s Ham on Rye will teach you more about surviving hell than Sun Tzu ever could.

At least those books bleed.

The Art of War just poses like a monk and mumbles clever nonsense.

Summary Table of Why The Art of War is Overrated

Point	Reason
1	Vague advice masked as genius
2	Not applicable to modern life/business
3	People pretend to read it, rarely understand it
4	Emotionless and sterile
5	Misused as justification for manipulation
6	Outdated for today’s fast-paced world
7	Superior alternatives exist with more soul and relevance

Conclusion

The Art of War never barked.
Never bled.
It just sat there, looking mysterious, hoping you’d call it profound.

I’ve known drunks in alleys with better strategies for survival.
They don’t quote Sun Tzu — they quote rent prices and street fights.
You want truth?
It’s messy.
It stinks.
It doesn’t fit into neat little proverbs that make you sound smart at brunch.

But sure. Keep quoting Sun Tzu.

Keep pretending a 2,500-year-old book about military discipline is your startup’s North Star.

Meanwhile, I’ll be at the bar, watching real war play out between a couple who just realized they don’t love each other anymore.