Quotations for the those walking the warrior's way
" Martial arts is like a mirror, in which you look at yourself before you wash your face in the morning. You see yourself, simply, the way that you are.
-Jiddu Krishnnamurti
" 'A fish saved my life once' says a Zen master. 'How?' asked someone. 'I ate him' replied the master."
-The movie "Iron Circle"
Five Secrets of Japanese Goju Ryu.
Move quickly.
Sound, calm mind.
Be light in body.
Have a clever mind.
Master the basics."
- Gogen Yamaguchi
"Even though surrounded By several enemies set to attack, Fight with the thought That they are but one." - Ueshiba
"The sword has to be more than a simple weapon; it has to be an answer to life's questions."- Miyamoto Musashi
"The way of the sword and the Way of Zen are identical, for they have the same purpose; that of killing the ego." - Yamada Jirokichi
"Sword and mind must be united. Technique by itself is insufficient, and spirit alone is not enough." - Yamada Jirokichi
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the perfection of the character of its participants." - Gichin Funakoshi
"Where questioning is rewarded, virtues are promoted, respect is demanded, and love is central........"-L'abri
"Mechanical wings allow us to fly, but it is with our minds that we make the sky ours"- William Langewiesche
“The more you sweat in training, the less you will bleed in battle.”-Unkown
"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to go to his class." -Choi, Hong Hi
“Only a warrior chooses pacifism; others are condemned to it.” - Unkown
"I have a high art, I hurt with cruelty those who would damage me." -Archilocus, 650 B.C.
"Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay it's price." -Sun Tzu
"To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." -General George Washington
"One mind, any weapon." -Hunter B. Armstrong
“We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training.” - Unkown
"One finds life through conquering the fear of death within one's mind. Empty the mind of all forms of attachment, make a go-for-broke charge and conquer the opponent with one decisive slash." -Togo Shigekata
"In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few." -Suzuki
“When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.” - Unkown
"I am prolonging the fight because I can see that you need the practice." -Zorro
"The Way of the warrior does not include other ways, such as Confucianism, Buddhism, certain traditions, artistic accomplishments, and dancing. But even though these are not part of the Way, if you know the Way broadly, you will see it in everything." -Miyamoto Mushashi, A Book of Five Rings
"It is a good day to die." -Native American saying
"Take arrows in your forehead, but never in your back." -Samurai maxim
"You can prevent your opponent from defeating you through defense, but you cannot defeat him without taking the offensive." -Sun Tzu
"You might as well stand and fight because if you run you will only die tired." -Vern Jocque
"He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is Enlightened." -Tao Te Ching
"Act like a man of thought; think like a man of action" -Thomas Mann
"Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." -The Buddha
"No such thing bad student. Only bad teacher." -Mr. Miyagi
“The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask him which he finds it hard to answer.” - Unkown
"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." -Confucius
"Mental bearing (calmness), not skill, is the sign of a matured samurai. A Samurai therefore should neither be pompous nor arrogant." -Tsukahara Bokuden
“War is not about who is right, it is about who is left.” - Unkown
“Talk is easy - ACTION is difficult. Action is easy - TRUE UNDERSTANDING is difficult!” - Unkown
"The undisturbed mind is like the calm body water reflecting the brilliance of the moon. Empty the mind and you will realize the undisturbed mind." -Yagyu Jubei
"It is easy to kill someone with a slash of a sword. It is hard to be impossible for others to cut down." -Yagyu Munenori
"Master the divine techniques of the Art of Peace and no enemy will dare to challenge you." -Ueshiba
"When the Way comes to an end, then change - having changed, you pass through."-I Ching
"To think, 'I will not think' - this, too, is something in one's thoughts. Simply do not think about not thinking at all." -Takuan
"The dance of battle is always played to the same impatient rhythm. What begins in a surge of violent motion is always reduced to the perfectly still." -Sun Tzu
"Not to borrow the strength of another, nor to rely on one's own strength; to cut off past and future thoughts, and not to live within the everyday mind... then the Great Way is right before your eyes." -Yamamoto Tsunetomo
"Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teachings there are. The Great Path is really NO PATH." -Ueshiba
"The no-mind not-thinks no-thoughts about no-things." -The Buddha
"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself." -Chinese Proverb
"When the student is ready, the Master appears." -Buddhist Proverb
"Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind." -Zen Saying
“The fastest draw is when the sword never leaves the scabbard; the strongest way to block, is never to provoke a blow; and the cleanest cut is the one withheld. “- Unkown
"There is no death. Only a change of worlds." -Chief Seattle
"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." -Friedrich Nietzsche
"Nature has given us two ears, two eyes, and but one tongue, to the end that we should hear and see more than we speak." -Socrates
"Knowing is not enough,you must apply, willing is not enough,you must do"
"You can not call yourself a winner, until you prove so"
"Fighting is the easiest part of training"
"You can not catch a word, but you can control it" -Maxim Osiptsov
"Lead,Follow,or GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" -unknown
(This is the motto of the 321 training squadron for the US Air force, it is painted in big letters on the side of the building. The 321 training squadron is one of the boot camp squadrons. - Mike)
"Keep your mind clear and the technique will come." -Audrey ward
"Do on to others before they do on to you" -Matt Snyder
"Like a Blacksmith pounding a piece of red-hot metal, hard training shapes and changes your body and mind. It is not by rubbing or patting it, but only through continous hard work that an ordinary object can become a sword." -Helwig
"Judge by my size do you? Size Matters Not."
"Do or do not, their is no try." -Yoda
"Fast as the wind, quiet as a forest, aggressive as fire, and immovable as a mountain." - Samurai Battle Banner
"It takes 2 peices of wood to start a fire" -Unknown
"The true martial artist yields to the weak, while withstanding the strong." -Young
"One cannot hate oneself and expect to love another." -Nick W
"Pain and error allows us to move on, but perfection is the end." -Nick W
"An old man stooped by age and hard work was gathering sticks in the forest. As he hobbled painfully along, he began to feel sorry for himself. With a hopeless gesture he throw his bundle of sticks upon the ground and groaned"Life is too hard, I cannot bear it any longer, If only death would come and take me." Even as those words were out of his mouth, death in the form of a skeleton in a black robe stood before him. "I heard you call me sir." he said, "what can I do for you?" "please sir" replied the old man, 'could you please help me put this bundle of sticks back on my shoulder again'" -unknown
"I come to you with only Karate, empty hands, I have no weapons, but should I be forced to defend myself, my principles or my honor, should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong; then here are my weapons, Karate, my empty hands." -Ed Parker
There is only one thing worse then a quitter, someone who is afraid to begin
"It is easier to follow than to reason" -unknown
"Show me a man who has never failed, and I'll show you a man who has never tried." -unknown
"A Zen master out for a walk with one of his students points out a fox chasing a rabbit. According to an ancient fable, the rabbit will get away from the fox. the master said. Not so replied the student The fox is faster but the rabbit will elude him insisted the master. Why are you so certain?? asked the student Because the fox is running for his dinner and the rabbit is running for his life replied the master." -unknown
"A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in every action" -Samurai Maxim
"Knowing others is wisdom knowing yourself is Enlightenment" -Lao-Tzu
"Nothing is impossible to a willing mind" -The books of Han Dynasty
"Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box."-Italian proverb
"If you try to fail and succed, which have you done?" -Big Dave
"The hardest fight comes from the opponent within" -Garry Wasson
"We are bound by our limitations to believe." -Mark Bishop
" When one loses the fear of his opponent, all that remains is his anger. 'Anger itself wins wars' "-Jason Klein
"One of the sources of pride in being a human being is the ability to bear present frustrations in the interests of longer purposes." -Helen Merrell Lynd
"When drinking water, one should drink as close to the source as possible, as the water becomes murky and often polluted the further down stream one travels."-Old martial arts saying
"Doubt everything. Find your own light."-Last words of Gotama Budha
"Indulging in hate and revenge is like drinking saltwater--the thirst can only grow."-Kwai Chang Caine
"Prayer is you talking to God meditation is you listening to God."-Yogi Amrit Desai
"If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat."-Sun Tzu
"The fearful mind is the distracted mind, and can never operate at its full potential."-Unknown
"For some reason when I was a white belt, the only color I could see was yellow, but now the whole world is orange,'I think I'm beginning to understand why they say in the end everything fades to black."-Jason Foster
"SELF DEFENSE WITHOUT COMMON SENSE IS LIKE THE EARTH WITHOUT THE SUN!"-Professor Larry Hilton, Soke
"You drop your hands in a fight and the only trouphy you are bringing home is a black eye!"-Chris "Padre" Bodley
"A true Grandmaster is a person who starts the arts at a very young age and continues it until their body will no longer allows it. Then they still contribute mentally to the art."-General Choi Hong Hi
"If all the world's a stage and its people players, how did I wind up on set crew?"-unknown
"Strike with the soul, and you will never miss."-KELLY BATES
"According to all the laws of aerodynamics the bumble-bee should not fly, but the bumble-bee does not know this and so flies anyway."-Kung-fu principle
"Somedays you eat the bear, somedays the bear eats you"-Mr. T
"There is no difference between coward and wiseman, for they both avoid the sword by obediance."-unknown
On performing kata. "Don't mistake intensity for being out of control."
On elaborate system/style names. "A rose by any other name is still a rose."
On excuses. "All an excuse is is a well thought out lie."
On teacher appreciation. "Sometimes we don't recognize the genius in the man beside us if he's been there all the time."-Norman Harris, Sensei
"You're never going to get any better if you can't remember (and learn from) yesterday."-Norman Harris, Sensei
"Knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is power."-Norman Harris, Sensei
"If you have to think about a technique you haven't done it enough."-Norman Harris, Sensei
"Practice until you get tired....then practice some more." -Norman Harris, Sensei
"Block hard. Strike (punch or kick) harder."-Norman Harris, Sensei
"We are creatures of habit. What we practice we will do. If we train hard, we will go hard. If we train easy, we will go easy."-Norman Harris, Sensei
"If training is hard, then winning will be easy, but if training is easy, then winning will be hard."-Norman Harris, Sensei
"Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind."-Bruce Lee
"To secure ourselves against defeat lies within our own hands but the opportunity of defeating the enemy lies within the enemy himself."-Sun Tzu
"It is better to avoid than to block,
It is better to block than to strike,
It is better to strike than to hurt,
It is better to hurt than to maim,
It is better to maim than to kill,
It is better to kill than to be killed,
All life is precious and none can be replaced"-kung-fu principle
Why do kamakasi pilots wear helmets?-unknown
"When you show your temper, hold your hand.
When you show your hand, hold your temper""-unknown (a Filipino Arnis precept)
"Nothing is perfect, all can be improved"-unknown
"Martial Arts should be a way of life, not a job, hobby, sport, but a part of you and the way you live your life."-Frank Gutting
"Never put your passions before your principles, for even if you win... you lose." -Sifu Vatche Bartekian
A rich man, fond of felines, asked a famous Zen ink painter to draw him a cat. The master agreed and asked the man to come back in three months. When the man returned, he was put off, again and again, until a year had passed. Finally, at the man's request, the master drew out a brush, and , with grace and ease, in a single fluid motion, drew a picture of a cat - the most marvelous image the man had ever seen. He was astonished then he grew angry. "That drawing took you only thirty seconds! Why did you make me wait a year?" he demanded. Without a word, the master opened up a cabinet, and out fell thousands of drawings - of cats.-Zen story
"A rock is rounded and smoothed by many years of bouncing in the ocean, a karateka, like a rock, advances himself by many years of practice."-unkown
"The true value of the martial arts is not in 100 victories but in the perfection of the character of the students."-Funakoshi 1922
"Shortcuts generally get you no-where faster"- Sensei Hitoshi
"The pathway of the martial arts seperates you from the trees, rocks, and waterfalls so that you may see them from below and ends on a mountain top where you can see the trees, rocks and waterfalls from above"-Master Randy Points
"Emotion can be the enemy, if you give into your emotion, you lose yourself. You must be at one with your emotion, because the body always follows the mind." - Bruce Lee
"a one sided martial artist is a blind martial artist"-unknown
"He who hesitates, meditates in a horizontal position" -Ed Parker
"Don't block with your nose"-unknown
"Go for the toes"-Sandy Martin
"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."-Rick English
"Work to become, not to aquire."-unknown
"Pain: It's all in your head. Or gut, mouth, arm. Depends on where you were hit last!"-Zagger
"It is not the accumulation of extraneous knowledge, but the realization of the self within, that constitutes true progress."- Okakura Kakuzo
"The art of the sword consists of never being concerned with victory or defeat, with strength or weakness, of not moving one step forward, nor one step backward, or the enemy not seeing me and my not seeing the enemy. Penetrating to that which is fundamental before the separation of heaven and earth where even yin and yang cannot reach, one instantly attains proficiency in the art."- Takuan
"To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill."-Sun-Tsu
"A Man Who Has Attained Mastery of An Art Reveals It in His Every Action.
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