# The Art of War by Sun Tzu

7 Hacker News commenters recommended The Art of War by Sun Tzu and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a short, timeless guide to strategy and leadership that is easy to read and still useful for explaining simple concepts to leaders.

## Why people recommend it

- Timeless lessons on strategy and leadership (2 comments): "Timeless lessons on strategy, leadership, and winning without unnecessary conflict." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48485595)) "is timeless and widely applicable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45953757))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Tao Te Ching by Laozi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tao-te-ching-translated.md): 32 recommend
- [Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance.md): 24 recommend
- [Meditations by Marcus Aurelius](https://hackerapproved.com/p/meditations.md): 17 recommend
- [I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter](https://hackerapproved.com/p/i-am-a-strange-loop.md): 16 recommend
- [Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard](https://hackerapproved.com/p/simulacra-and-simulation.md): 12 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0804830800?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780804830805) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Art of War by Sun Tzu", https://hackerapproved.com/p/art-of-war/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).