— Books of Han Dynasty
When you seek it, you cannot find it.
— Zen riddle
The mind should be nowhere in particular.
— Takuan Soho
Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free; centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.
— Chuang Tzu
The mind of a perfect man is like a mirror. It grasps nothing, it expects nothing. It reflects but does not hold. Therefore, the perfect man can act without effort.
— Chuang Tzu
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy.
— Sun Tzu in The Art of War (circa 400 B. C.)
Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive. Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.
— Sun Tzu in The Art of War (circa 400 B. C.)
Hence, during swiftness, be like the wind.
During stillness, be like the forest.
During aggression, be like fire.
During immobility, be like the mountain.
Be as unknowing as the dark.
Move like a thunderbolt.
— Sun Tzu's in The Art of War
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 Tzu
The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be.
— Bruce Lee
To have no way as a way, to have no limitations as a limitation.
— Bruce Lee
Control your emotion or it will control you.
— Chinese adage
A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action.
— Sumarai maxim
The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life.
— Samurai maxim
To know and to act are one and the same.
— Samurai maxim
You may train for a long, long time, but if you merely move your hands and feet and jump up and down like a puppet, learning karate is not very different from learning to dance. You will never have reached the heart of the matter; you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of karate-do.
— Gichin Funakosi
It is better to cry in the dojo and laugh on the battlefield,
than to laugh in the dojo and then cry on the battlefield.
— Aikido saying
Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.
— Daisetsu Suzuki
The master or teacher, guides the student to the student’s personal understanding of whatever is being done. The student is part of the resulting awareness. The master is not. But the master is necessary to make the student understand.
— Myamoto Musashi
You cannot travel on the path before you have become the path itself.
— Buddha – Father of Buddhism
Violence, when there are alternatives, is immoral.
Violence, when there are no alternatives, is survival.
—Buddhist saying
To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.
— Confucius
War and killing are wrong,
but so is it wrong not to defend yourself.
— Daramu
A Shaolin monk’s conduct should be as transparent as ice,
he is not to seek fame or wealth.
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing.
If you delight in killing — you can not fulfill yourself.
— Shaolin saying
A person’s unbalance is the same as a weight.
— Isshinryu maxim
The body should be able to change directions at any time.
— Isshinryu maxim
The time to strike is when the opportunity presents itself.
— Isshinryu maxim
The eye must see all sides.
— Isshinryu maxim
The ear must listen in all directions.
— Isshinryu maxim
Depending on the circumstance, you should be:
Hard as a diamond,
Flexible as a willow,
Smooth-flowing like water, or
Empty as space.
— Morihei Ueshiba
He who hesitates, meditates in a horizontal position.
—Ed Parker
Angles that deviate, alleviate unwarranted problems.
—Ed Parker
“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, right or wrong, then here are my weapons — Karate, my empty hands.”
— Karate Creed by Ed Parker
I believe the right of personal defense exists.
If I am forced to defend myself, my loved ones, or my beliefs; should I be attacked or have my principles violated — then I am ready, willing and prepared to defend myself with my natural weapons, the way of the foot and the way of the empty hand. This way; controlled by my mind and governed by my spirit, is a skillful weapon that can subdue, overpower, or destroy, depending on the forced combat situation. I will aggressively react to any infringement on my rights with speed, ruthlessness, and precision. I will win any way I can. Never doubt my determination to use my strength, knowledge, and experience without either hesitation or reservation.
This is the way of my teacher.
This is also MY WAY!
—The Way: A Personal Self-Defense Creed
When there is no conflict,
There is no victory or defeat.
But when conflict is unavoidable, —
It is better to control and subdue than to injure.
Better to injure than to maim,
Better to maim than to kill,
Better to kill than to be killed.
—Code of the Warrior
Don’t run away from pain.
Test the degree, stretch the limits to which you can stand pain.
Then, when one comes at you, ask it:
“And what degree of pain are you?
Well, I can deal with that.
Come on with it.”
—Unknown
When the enemy advances, we retreat.
When he escapes, we harass.
When he retreats, we pursue.
When he is tired, we attack.
When he burns, we put out the fire.
When he loots, we attack.
When he pursues, we hide.
When he retreats, we return.
— Mao Tse-Tung, 1937
Think first of courtesy and respect.
Foster the spirit of effort and immediate positive action.
Always strive for a better personality.
Keep the way of sincerity, and
Utilize your knowledge and physical vigor
for the purpose of right.
—Unknown
Man is the highest being on the planet earth.
Hold your head up.
Look everyone straight in the eye without blinking.
Learn to read faces.
Present yourself.
Enunciate when you speak.
Always strive for a better personality.
—Unknown
Walk,
shake hands,
fall,
or die,
with your chest out!
Fear means ignorance.
Conquer it
and become a true person.
—Unknown
Carelessness leads to chaos.
Chaos leads to anarchy.
Anarchy leads to ruin.
—Yoda
Eight Commandments of Karate
Respect
Confidence
Inner Peace
Concentration
Self-Discipline
Control of Mind and Body
Harmony with others
Being an asset to your community
—Unknown
The Victor
If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost.
for out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever think to win the prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.
—C. W. Longenecker