How Sun Tzu’s The Art of War changed Hong Kong comedian Vivek Mahbubani’s life
- Mahbubani likens doing stand-up to going into battle, and that the strategies laid out in the book are applicable to all aspects of life
- One of his favourite lessons is that ‘the ultimate excellence is not winning in battle but winning without fighting a battle’
The Art of War (circa 5th century BC), by Chinese general and philosopher Sun Tzu, is the pre-eminent ancient book of military strategy. Advocating intense preparation and an intelligence-driven approach to warfare, it has long been used in Asia as a military training manual. The book became popular around the world during the 20th century, with its ideas more widely applied in areas such as business, politics and sport.
Hong Kong stand-up comedian Vivek Mahbubani, who performs in both English and Cantonese, explains how the book changed his life.
I first encountered The Art of War on life-hacking websites while I was studying at the City University of Hong Kong. I wondered how a book called The Art of War was going to help me learn about business and about life.
Then I borrowed a copy and read it, and learned how its principles could be applied to life, to business or to anything.
A lot of the advice is common sense – I understand that I should know that, but it’s good to be reminded of it sometimes. For example: don’t dive into an adventure without a plan – you need to have an idea where you’re going. And there are simple pieces of advice such as being kind to your soldiers. Even with the best weapons, you can’t win unless you have your soldiers on your side and keep them motivated.