Martial arts is for defense. It's not for attacking. So when people are fighting, always, always, defend.
Interpretation
Martial arts should be used primarily for self-defense, not for aggression.
Jackie Chan emphasizes that the true essence of martial arts lies in protecting oneself rather than seeking out confrontation. He advocates for a mindset focused on defense, highlighting the importance of restraint and the moral responsibility that comes with the ability to fight.
In practice
During a self-defense seminar, I quoted Jackie Chan to emphasize the importance of defending oneself rather than seeking confrontation.
American stuntmen are smart - they think about safety. When they do a jump in a car, they calculate everything: the speed, the distance... But in Hong Kong, we don't know how to count. Everything we do is a guess. If you've got the guts, you do it. All of my stuntmen have gotten hurt.
One thing I did pick up from Cannonball Run was the use of bloopers and outtakes under the final credits, which I've done in all my movies since.
Martial arts is not for hurting people, it's for protecting people.
We learn martial arts as helping weakness. You never fight for people to get hurt. You're always helping people.
In the past when I was in Hollywood, I was like a dog. I felt humiliated. My English was not good. People would even ask me 'Jackie Who?'.
Why did I become Jackie Chan? Mostly because I work very hard. When people were sleeping, I was still training.
If one girl with courage is a revolution, imagine what feats we can achieve together.
When things are going bad, don't get all bummed out. Don't get startled; don't get frustrated. If you can say the word 'good,' guess what? It means you're still alive. It means you're still breathing.
In Macbeth a lady is restrained from the murder of a king by his resemblance of her father as he slept. Should not all men be restrained from acts of violence and even of unkindness against their fellow men by observing in them something which resembles the Savior of the World? If nothing else certainly, a human figure?
But I despised men who accepted their fate. I shaped mine twenty times and had it broken twenty times in my hands.
The mark of fear is not easily removed.
I am not made for lonely expeditions. In the sixties, I climbed during the day so I wouldn't have to be alone. I finally learned to stay up for weeks in the high altitude all by my own without being afraid.
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