We learn martial arts as helping weakness. You never fight for people to get hurt. You're always helping people.
Interpretation
Martial arts are taught to empower individuals and promote well-being rather than to cause harm.
In this quote, Jackie Chan emphasizes the essence of martial arts training, which is not centered around aggression but rather on the development of self-discipline, confidence, and the ability to protect oneself and others. The true spirit of martial arts lies in using the skills acquired to assist those who are vulnerable, highlighting the importance of compassion and support in any form of conflict resolution.
In practice
In a motivational speech on team building.
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.
Martial arts is for defense. It's not for attacking. So when people are fighting, always, always, defend.
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.
I've done truth to power all my life. It's got me into trouble, but who cares?
We are so resilient as a people. I have so much respect for their dignity and courage. I hope the world sees this side of Pakistan, one where professionals want a democracy. The spirit of our intelligentsia cannot be broken.
When I hear stories about the number of kids that have been lost to violence, where families grow up teaching kids 'duck and cover' long before they learn their ABC's or their colors, I know there is something profoundly wrong in our city.
In war there is no substitute for victory.
The first steps in self-acceptance are not at all pleasant, for what one sees is not a happy sight. One needs all the courage to go further.
To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.
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