Enlightened Warfare

Chapter 31 of the Tao Te Ching:

Good weapons are instruments of fear; all creatures hate them.
Therefore followers of Tao never use them.
The wise prefer the left.
Soldiers prefer the right.

Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not tools of the wise.
They use them only when there is no choice.
Peace and quiet are dear to their hearts,
And victory no cause for rejoicing.
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;
If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself.

On happy occasions precedence is given to the left,
On sad occasions to the right.
In the army the general stands on the left,
The commander-in-chief on the right.
This means that war is conducted like a funeral.
When many people are killed,
They should be mourned in heartfelt sorrow.
That is why a victory must be observed like a funeral.