While this phrasing is not found in surviving editions of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, its spirit aligns with his counsel on initiative, surprise, and momentum. Sun Tzu emphasizes acting before the enemy is ready and using small, decisive moves to transform the field; speed and surprise convert minimal force into outsized effect (The Art of War, trans. Griffith; see discussions of initiative across chs. 1–6 and ch. 11).
Thus, although the sentence reads modern and proverbial, it resonates with classical strategy: begin with a clear signal, seize the advantage created by that clarity, and keep the opponent reacting. In practice, the flare is less about brightness than about timing—lighting it before paralysis hardens into defeat. [...]
