MisattributedNot in the source High
Checked by the editor · 8 Oct 2026

Attributed to Sun Tzu

Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.

No. It is not in The Art of War, and the Napoleon credit is only an unverified attribution.

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Not in The Art of War. Usually credited to Napoleon; Wikiquote lists that credit only as attributed.

Explanation

No. "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake" is not in The Art of War. The Sun Tzu attribution is false, and the confidence on that point is high. The sentence is usually credited to Napoleon instead. That second credit is thin as well. Wikiquote lists it only as "Attributed" for him, not as a quotation with a passage behind it. Two celebrated names are attached to the line. Neither name comes with a text you can open and check.

The appeal is plain. It sounds like patience, and it flatters anyone who can keep still while another person errs. Keeping still can be wise. This particular sentence is not how The Art of War says so, because The Art of War does not say it. If you repeat the line, say that it is attributed to Napoleon and that the attribution is unverified. Say in the same breath that it is not Sun Tzu. A verified neighbour, if you need one, is III.18, on knowing the enemy, which is a different claim.

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References

Confidence: high. An exact passage is in the cited edition, or a named source documents the origin. How confidence works

In the canon

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