About this quote

True power lies in setting up your life so you never have to fight in the first place. We waste massive amounts of energy preparing for clashes that we could easily avoid with a little foresight. Why choose a bloody war when you can win through quiet positioning? Look at your current conflicts and ask yourself how you got there. You will find that most of your struggles are just the result of poor planning.

When to use it

• Instead of fighting my teenager about screen time every night, I set up an automated router rule that shuts off the Wi-Fi at nine, stopping the argument before it even starts.
• When a colleague tried to spark a public argument over email, I walked over to their desk and settled the misunderstanding quietly, defusing the office drama entirely.
• We spent six months securing a highly detailed contract with our supplier, so when market prices spiked, we did not have to negotiate under pressure.
• By focusing entirely on my defensive stance during the tennis match, I frustrated my opponent until they made reckless mistakes and handed me the win.