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The Art of War—a detailed analysis of 5th-century B.C. Chinese military thinking, from weapons and terrain to strategy and discipline—might seem far removed from modern law practice. Yet Sun Tzu’s ancient wisdom still resonates both in and out of the courtroom.
Then there’s Bruce Lee, whose philosophy of fluidity and self-mastery offers a modern counterpoint. Watch his extraordinary technique.
YouTube has plenty of short videos.
What can we, as lawyers, learn from these two masters? Simple: practiced mastery. Paraphrasing Einstein, if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it.
Sun Tzu: The Strategist
He taught that the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting—the greatest victory being the one that requires no battle. In our world, that’s the art of resolution: mediation, negotiation, persuasion. Perhaps a settlement in chambers before the conflict begins.
Sun Tzu also warned that in the midst of chaos lies opportunity. Those moments when a case veers off course often signals a chance to regroup, call a sidebar and find common ground. A disciplined mind can spot the opening—and seize it.
If you’re paying attention, that is.
When a witness says, “I want to say…” that’s often a tell—they’re about to lie. Or when one blurts, “What do you want me to say?” You’ve likely won that round. I once heard, “So you really want me to say what happened?” during a deposition in an attempted murder case. The state’s theory collapsed right there. The case was dismissed.
Bruce Lee: The master of flow
Lee famously taught his students to “be water.” If you’ve seen his performances, you know: control, speed, adaptability. Lee didn’t just move—he responded, shifted, flowed.
That’s our lesson too. You step into a deposition certain your client’s story is solid, then discover you’re standing on quicksand.
Do you dig in or adapt, find new footing, reshape your theory of the case? Rigidity breaks; flexibility bends and survives.
Lee believed discipline created freedom, not limitation. The habits we cultivate—like keeping up with the latest cases—become instinctive. True mastery, in law as in martial arts, looks effortless.
Where they diverge
Sun Tzu prized structure and hierarchy. He played the long game, valued preparation, and treated retreat as a strategy.
For Bruce Lee, rigidity was the enemy. He counseled detachment: respond, don’t react; don’t cling to old arguments or lost ground.
Applying their lessons
Imagine a criminal case where the state’s evidence seems overwhelming—videos, statements, co-defendants, chaos.
Bruce Lee would treat it like a live bout: every strike from opposing counsel met with calm, fluid redirection. No posturing, no wasted motion.
Sun Tzu would study the field, anticipate personalities, and wait for the moment to press advantage—perhaps unveiling a critical argument only when it counts most.
In the end, the case might resolve on fair terms—not through bluster, but through a blend of preparation and adaptability.
Bruce Lee shows us the art of flexibility. Sun Tzu reminds us of the power of foresight.
At their intersection lies something essential: the disciplined mind—ready to act, ready to adapt.•
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Roy Graham has practiced family and criminal law in Indiana for more than 35 years. A former bakery owner and percussion student at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, he writes the column “More than Law,” exploring life, law, and what they reveal about each other.
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