Sun Tzu, a Chinese general, who lived around 500 BC, wrote a collection of essays on the art of war. This Chinese classic is widely regarded as the oldest military treatise in the world. The most basic Sun Tzu's principles for the conduct of war is that "All warfare is based on deception." It emphasises the unpredictability of battle, the importance of deception and surprise, the close relationship between politics and military policy, and the costs of war. The ineffectiveness of seeking hard and fast rules and the subtle paradoxes of success are important themes. The best battle, says Sun Tzu, is the battle that is won without being fought. "The Art of War "has been popularised in business and management texts on account of its amazing relevance to the world of business, sports and diplomacy as well as to personal lives.