If You Fight Frequently, The People Become Exhausted; If You Win Frequently, The Ruler Becomes Arrogant: Japanese Proverb Meaning

How to Read “If you fight frequently, the people become exhausted; if you win frequently, the ruler becomes arrogant”

Shūtatakaeba sunawachi tami tsukare, shūkateba shu ogoru

Meaning of “If you fight frequently, the people become exhausted; if you win frequently, the ruler becomes arrogant”

This proverb warns leaders about two dangers. When you rush into war, the people become exhausted. When you win too easily, the ruler becomes arrogant.

If you start battles hastily, you mobilize people before they’re ready. They haven’t prepared mentally or physically. This drains them completely.

On the other hand, easy victories create a different problem. When success comes quickly, leaders overestimate their abilities. They become arrogant and lose touch with reality.

The proverb points out two risks of hasty decisions. In modern terms, think of business or organizations. When companies rush major changes without preparation, employees burn out.

Similarly, easy success makes executives overconfident. True leadership means understanding your people’s condition. It also means staying humble even after success.

This wisdom teaches us something essential. Leaders must watch their team’s state carefully. They must maintain humility regardless of their achievements.

Origin and Etymology

This proverb likely comes from ancient Chinese classics. The character “驟” means “suddenly” or “hastily.” Ancient China used it to warn rulers about reckless military action.

War is a nation’s greatest undertaking. When you rush into battle unprepared, people have no time to prepare mentally or gather supplies. They get mobilized and quickly become exhausted.

Even if you win by luck, sudden victory creates problems. The ruler mistakes fortune for skill. This breeds arrogance and poor judgment.

What makes this saying interesting is its dual warning. It addresses both how wars begin and how they end. Hasty warfare burdens the people. Hasty victory corrupts the leader’s heart.

Either way, rushing brings disaster to the nation. This is a crucial lesson for any ruler.

Chinese classics reached Japan long ago. Warrior society studied them as guides for governance. This proverb was passed down as essential wisdom about leadership.

Usage Examples

• When we rushed the new business launch, it was like “if you fight frequently, the people become exhausted; if you win frequently, the ruler becomes arrogant”—the staff burned out, and early success made management overconfident
• If we rush reforms too much, it’s “if you fight frequently, the people become exhausted; if you win frequently, the ruler becomes arrogant,” so we should proceed step by step

Universal Wisdom

This proverb reveals universal wisdom about time and process in human psychology. Why does sudden warfare exhaust people? Because humans need more than physical preparation—they need mental preparation too.

People feel anxious about sudden change. When forced to act without time to understand, they experience deep fatigue. This isn’t just physical tiredness—it’s emotional and mental exhaustion.

Why does sudden victory make rulers arrogant? Because people can’t understand success without experiencing the struggle. When something comes easily, you don’t realize how easily it can be lost.

Only through hard-earned success do we understand its weight. Only then can we maintain humility.

This saying endures because it shows that leadership isn’t about speed—it’s about appropriateness. Leaders face two constant temptations. First is the urge to get quick results. Second is the belief that success proves you’re always right.

Avoiding these two traps defines true leadership. Our ancestors understood something profound. Humans lose sight of what matters when they rush. They lose sight of themselves when they win.

That’s why this warning still resonates with us today.

When AI Hears This

The phenomenon where repeated warfare exhausts people and continuous victory makes rulers arrogant can be explained through two concepts: entropy increase and control system failure.

First, consider the people’s exhaustion. War injects massive energy into society. Mobilizing soldiers, producing supplies, transmitting information—all activities accelerate dramatically.

According to the second law of thermodynamics, maintaining a high-energy state increases disorder in the system. Think of cleaning a room—it requires effort, but leaving it alone naturally creates mess.

Continuous warfare as a high-energy state causes social foundations to disorder. Agriculture deteriorates. The economy falls into chaos. This process is irreversible. Restoring collapsed order requires enormous cost.

Meanwhile, the ruler’s arrogance represents control system failure. Normally, rulers self-correct through negative feedback from failures. But continuous victory disables this feedback mechanism.

Like an air conditioner with a broken temperature sensor that keeps cooling endlessly, a ruler receiving only positive victory signals loses self-regulation ability. They spiral into excessive judgment.

What’s fascinating is that people’s exhaustion and ruler’s arrogance progress simultaneously. The system’s foundation collapses while the control mechanism breaks—a dual collapse process.

Lessons for Today

This proverb teaches modern people two things: the courage not to rush, and the strength to stay humble.

Modern society values speed. Quick decisions, swift execution, instant results. But this proverb asks: Is that really right?

When you rush something forward, are the people around you ready? Are their hearts keeping up with you?

Not just leaders, but all of us sometimes guide others—at home, with friends, anywhere. What matters then is respecting the other person’s pace.

Understand that rushing someone means exhausting them.

And when something goes well, stop and think. Was this success really just your ability? Wasn’t there luck or support from others?

Keep asking these questions. This prevents future failures and opens the path to further growth.

Don’t rush. Don’t become arrogant. Keep these two principles in your heart. Then you’ll become someone who values others and continues growing yourself.