Martial Arts Quotes

“Never respond to an angry person with a fiery comeback, even if he deserves it...Don't allow his anger to become your anger.”
― Bohdi Sanders, Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior

“Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.”
― Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do

“The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy's cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him.”
― Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

“The Talmud states, "Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
― Bridges McCall

“Preoccupied with a single leaf you won't see the tree.”
― Vagabond

“To me, the extraordinary aspect of martial arts lies in its simplicity. The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is.”
― Bruce Lee

“The two shadows, black against the dark, defined by voids of light, moved at impossible speeds.”
― William Kely McClung, Super Ninja: The Sword of Heaven

“The warrior learns of the spiritual realm by dwelling on the cutting edge of the sword, standing at the edge of the fire pit, venturing right up to the edge of starvation if necessary. Vibrant and intense living is the warrior's form of worship.”
― Stephen K. Hayes

“You Have the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams!”
― Dr. Tae Yun Kim, Seven Steps to Inner Power

“... but to remain historically accurate, I would have had to leave out an important question that I felt needed to be addressed, which is, 'What if Jesus had known kung fu?”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal

“In Japan, a number of time-honored everyday activities (such as making tea, arranging flowers, and writing) have traditionally been deeply examined by their proponents. Students study how to make tea, perform martial arts, or write with a brush in the most skillful way possible to express themselves with maximum efficiency and minimum strain. Through this efficient, adroit, and creative performance, they arrive at art. But if they continue to delve even more deeply into their art, they discover principles that are truly universal, principles relating to life itself. Then, the art of brush writing becomes shodo—the “Way of the brush”—while the art of arranging flowers is elevated to the status of kado—the “Way of flowers.” Through these Ways or Do forms, the Japanese have sought to realize the Way of living itself. They have approached the universal through the particular.”
― H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.”
― Bruce Lee

“Unfortunately, religion often works to shrink and tame the very wild and mysterious forces that first drew our wonder. In the process of making the inexplicable safe for the masses, the possibilities for real illusion-piercing insight becomes reduced. One might say that they are only available to those who dare to ride the breaking crest of direct life-altering experience.”
― Stephen K. Hayes

“The most difficult part ot traditional taekwondo is not learning
the first kick or punch. It is not struggling to remember the
motions of a poomsae or becoming aquainted with Korean culture.
Rather, it is taking the first step across the threshold of the dojang
door. This is where roads diverge, where choices are made that
will resonate throughout a lifetime.”
― Doug Cook, Taekwondo: A Path to Excellence

“I’ve learned to fall like the BJJ player, to protect the body through controlling the distribution of force by slapping the mat with hands open. With hands open. Hands open. Open. O Pen.”
― Cameron Conaway, Caged: Memoirs of a Cage-Fighting Poet

“I can show you the path but I can not walk it for you.”
― Master Iain Armstrong , Get Your Health Back FAST With Chinese Chi Kung.

“The Destructive Arts are exactly like Martial Arts, except they don't have uniforms or usefulness and the end result doesn't resemble art in any way.”
― Jim Benton, Okay, So Maybe I Do Have Superpowers

“The Chinese words ‘kung fu’ translate more or less as ‘a man hard at work over a long time’. If you want to unlock the full power of kung fu, it is not going to be easy: you are going to have to work, you are going to have to sacrifice and you are going to have to suffer – over a long time. There really is no such thing as a free lunch.”
― Master Iain Armstrong

“Tenderness relieves strength that encumbers.”
― Toba Beta, My Ancestor Was an Ancient Astronaut

“The historic beauty of BJJ rests not with its ability to allow a smaller man to maim a larger man, but with its ability to allow any man of any size to survive.”
― Cameron Conaway, Caged: Memoirs of a Cage-Fighting Poet

“He landed on cheap shot, but I knocked him out of the tournament.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence

“I think all artists struggle to represent the geometry
of life in their own way, just like writers deal with
archetypes. There are only so many stories that you can
tell, but an infinite number of storytellers.”
― Henry Mosquera, Sleeper's Run

“If you take a bus, you should know when to get off!".”
― Master Iain Armstrong, Get Your Health Back FAST With Chinese Chi Kung.

“. . . the sole aim of Okinawa Karate is to teach A person to handle violence and violent individuals; whether it is tactile, mental or spiritual”
― Soke Behzad Ahmadi, KARATE POWER Lethal power of Fajin

“Η δυνατή γροθιά κατά την γνώμη μου, δεν είναι αυτή που θα πετάξει τον αντίπαλο τρία μέτρα μακριά, δυνατά γροθιά είναι εκείνη που οταν την δώσεις θα φύγεις πίσω και εσύ ο ίδιος.”
― Γιώργος Μ.

“Immortality is to live your life doing good things, and leaving your mark behind.”
― Brandon Lee

“To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential.”
― Bruce Lee

“Why are there some people who Summon painful, horrible battles where their blood flies and their bones ache? When you were little adults probably told you many times that "Being a good fighter doesn't get you anywhere." And you probably knew it was the truth. In progressing, civilized countries, having "power" means economical power. The same applies to "strength." These people can't understand the feelings of those who want physical power anyway, and spend their days sweating and fighting in order to get direct stimulation. I (the author) was the same way.... but after starting the manga, I felt like I got closer to finding my answer. It comes from the strong feeling of "Wanting to change yourself". That reason alone outweighs the pain, fear, and meaning of fighting.”
― Kōji Mori, ホーリーランド 18 [Holyland 18]

“A Black Belt is not the Finish Line; it is the Starting Line.”
― Robert Dallmann, The Definitive History of Bushido Kai

“Martial Arts - Do anything diligently for 40 years, and you should get good at it!”
― Robert Dallmann, The Definitive History of Bushido Kai