Sun Tzu, in his renowned work “Art of War” said,
that “[t]o fight and conquer in all your battles is not
supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking down
the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
Pyrrhus of Epirus, a Greek king who was undone by his costly
(yet victorious) battles against the Romans, is quoted to have
muttered “if we are victorious in one more battle with the
Romans, we shall be utterly ruined” hence the phrase
“pyrrhic” victory.
In a world dealing with the impact of a devasting pandemic and
global recession, risk mitigation has become more important than
ever. Futile “pyrrhic” victories are to be avoided
– costly successful battles in the courtroom may ultimately
lead to a loss of the “war” against the competitor.
