Quotes on Martial Arts

One of the most striking features of karate is that it may be engaged in by anybody, young or old, strong or weak, male or female.

Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.

There is no first strike in Karate.

Under conditions of peace the warlike man attacks himself.

Not failure, but low aim, is crime.

The athlete who is building muscles though weight training should be very sure to work adequately on speed and flexibility at the same time. In combat, without the prior attributes, a strong man will be like the bull with its colossal strength futilely pursuing the matador or like a low-geared truck chasing a rabbit.

If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover.

Even today, I dare not say that I have reached a state of achievement. I'm still learning, for learning is boundless.

Foster and polish the warrior spirit while serving in the world; illuminate the path according to your inner light.

Martial arts is not for hurting people, it's for protecting people.

In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.

The core of understanding lies in the individual mind, and until that is touched everything is uncertain and superficial. Truth cannot be perceived until we come to fully understand our potential and ourselves. After all, knowledge in the martial arts ultimately means self-knowledge.

If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.

A teacher is never a giver of truth; he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself.

Martial arts is for defense. It's not for attacking. So when people are fighting, always, always, defend.

The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.

Spiritual life can certainly follow the pattern one sees in the fake martial arts, with most teachers making nebulous and magical claims that never get tested, while their students derange themselves with weird ideas, empty rituals, and other affectations.

Good technique includes quick changes, great variety and speed. It may be a system of reversals much like a concept of God and the Devil. In the speed of events, which one is really in charge? Do they change places with lightning speed? The Chinese believe so. To put the heart of the martial arts in your own heart and have it be a part of you means total comprehension.

To practice Zen or the Martial Arts, you must live intensely, wholeheartedly, without reserve - as if you might die in the next instant

Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

Pour some water into a tub and stir it up. Now try as hard as you can to calm the water with your hands; you will succeed in agitating it further. Let it stand undisturbed a while, and it will calm down by itself. The human brain works much the same way.