Quotes on Martial Arts

To know oneself is to study oneself in action, which is relationship.

To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. Now, it is very difficult to do. It has always been very easy for me to put on a show and be cocky, and be flooded with a cocky feeling and feel pretty cool and all that. I can make all kinds of phoney things. Blinded by it. Or I can show some really fancy movement. But to experience oneself honestly, not lying to oneself, and to express myself honestly, now that is very hard to do.

We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again.

If you knew you had to fight for your life tomorrow, would you change your training today?

The greatest teacher has nothing to say. He simply gives himself in service, and never worries.

To practice Aikido fully you must calm the spirit and go back to the origin.

Whatever one cultivates, is what one becomes.

My mentality is that when I go to sleep at night, I'm a better martial artist than when I woke up in the morning.

A belt does nothing but hold your gi together. A belt has assigned significance, a belt is someone else saying you're good, you don't need other people saying that you're good in order to be good.

One becomes a beginner after 1000 days of training. One becomes a master after 10,000 days of practice.

The path of Martial Arts begins and ends with courtesy. So be genuinely polite on every occasion.

It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.

The more complicated and restricted the method, the less opportunity for expression of one's original sense of freedom.

To me defeat in anything is merely temporary. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing; it is a path leading to success and truth.

To understand your fear is the beginning of really seeing.

When it's cold, water freezes into ice; when it's warm, ice melts into water. Similarly, when you are confused, essence freezes into mind; when you are enlightened, mind melts into essence.

The usefulness of the cup is its emptiness.

When you are on the ground, only one of you two can be comfortable at any one time. Either you are comfortable or the opponent is. Your job is to transfer the comfortable from him to you in every position

To practice kata is not to memorize an order. Find the katas that work for you, understand them, digest them & stick with them for life.

A black belt is nothing more than a belt that goes around your waist. Being a black belt is a state of mind and attitude. Even though surrounded By several enemies set to attack, Fight with the thought That they are but one.

A black belt only covers two inches of your ass. You have to cover the rest.