New Delhi, March 20 -- "All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near" ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

LiveMint's quote of the day brings about a certain irony as readers read this 2,500-year-old military treatise sitting in the comfort of the modern world on a smartphone.

While none of us plans to wage a war, the philosophy behind Sun Tzu's most quoted, most studied, and arguably, most misunderstood book on strategy in human history lies a single, uncomfortable truth: Deception is not a bug in the system; it is the system.

To S...