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This line - from ancient Chinese general Sun-tzu - must have been behind the PM's thinking when he gave Mandelson a job, but what does the decision mean for fleet?
Allegedly no-one was more surprised than Lord Peter Mandelson when he got the nod from Gordon Brown to re-join the Cabinet - despite not even being an MP and having resigned twice before amid sleaze and corruption allegations.
The pair's dislike for each other has been well-documented and dates back to 1994 when 'Mandy' effectively ended their relationship by switching his allegiance to Tony Blair's leadership ticket.
So in these times of political war and credit crunch catastrophe, what can 'Gordo' hope to achieve by appointing Mandelson as his business secretary and letting him back into the Cabinet for a third time? And what does it mean for the fleet and automotive industry?
The position of secretary of state, Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform - to give it its full title - at first seems a curious one. The department, better known as BERR, was formed out of the ashes of the Department of Trade and Industry in June 2007 and now deals with everything from boosting trade and competitiveness in the UK and abroad to corporate social responsibility and climate change.
Mandy's previous role as European Union Commissioner for Trade means he's used to dealing with the EU machine on Britain's behalf. And as an ex-director of communications for the Labour Party, as well as a former TV producer for London Weekend Television in the 1980s, no doubt knows how to tell and sell a story. He has also held the role of secretary of state for Trade and Industry (1998) where he introduced the national minimum wage.
It's too early to assess how his skills and sympathies might relate to the business of transport in these tough times but he doesn't seem to mind a bit of free private transport. According to various reports, in his time as EU trade commissioner Mandy's been lent a private jet by a hedge fund manager and been entertained on various yachts by Italian footwear and Indian steel magnates just when key legislation on issues relating to their businesses was being raised at EU level.
If carmakers want some 'good-for-business' tax breaks to restore consumer confidence maybe they could do worse than lend Mandy a few super-luxury limos to swan about in. Of course, it wouldn't sway his actions one way or the other, but who knows, it just may coincide with him being a little more sympathetic to carmakers' calls for more straightforward pan-European CO2 legislation and more besides. It's just a thought.
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