Martial arts quotations: Set 4
If you think your good enough, you've just started your decline.
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A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.
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Spirit first, technique second.
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Control your emotions or they will control you.
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The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.
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Correct execution of the technique leads to a correct understanding of the technique.
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Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
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For every action, there is an equal but opposite criticism.
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Never do card tricks for the group you play poker with.
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No one is listening until you make a mistake.
Success always occurs in private, failure in full view.
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To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. - General George Washington
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He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened. -Tao Te Ching
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Master the divine techniques of the Art of Peace and no enemy will dare to challenge you. -Ueshiba
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In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few -Suzuki
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Without Knowledge, skill cannot be focused. Without Skill, strength cannot be brought to bear and without strength, knowledge may not be applied. -Alexander the Great's Chief Physician
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To a real warrior, power perceived may be power achieved.
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Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both....and surpass the result. -Tien T'ai
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Act like a man of thought. Think like a man of action -Thomas Mann
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Civilize the mind but make savage the body -Chairman Mao
Unless you do your best, the day will come when, tired and hungry, you will halt just short of the goal you were ordered to reach, and, by halting ,you will make useless the efforts and deaths of thousands -Gen. George S. Patton
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I have a high art, I hurt with cruelty those who would damage me. -Archilocus, 650 B.C.
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Some Warriors look fierce, but are mild. Some seem timid, but are vicious. Look beyond appearances; position yourself for the advantage. - Deng Ming-Dao
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Only a warrior chooses pacifism; others are condemned to it.
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I dislike death, however, there are some things I dislike more than death. Therefore, there are times when I will not avoid danger. -Mencius
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Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay it's price. -Sun Tzu
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It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. -Confucius
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War is not about who is right, it is about who is left.
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To practice Zen or the Martial Arts, you must live intensely, wholeheartedly, without reserve—as if you might die in the next instant -Taisen Deshimaru
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The Ultimate Warrior leaves no openings -Except in his mind.
When the Way comes to an end, then change - having changed, you pass through. -I Ching
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Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teachings there are. The Great Path is really NO PATH. -Ueshiba Morihei
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When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.
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Victory goes to the one who has no thought of himself -Shinkage School of Swordsmanship
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See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body -Yagyu Munenori
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Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself -Chinese Proverb
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When the student is ready, the Master appears. -Buddhist Proverb
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Be master OF mind rather than mastered BY mind -Zen Saying
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Like fire, Taekwondo itself is neither good nor evil. It is neutral, its character is determined by the eye of the perceiver, the hand of the user. - Adapted from quote by Jerrold Mundis
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The best martial artist is the one who's having the most fun. - Adapted from quote by Alex Lowe
A wise man believes in silence, he does not boast of his prowess. He will not display his self-defense, until he hears a cry of distress. Only then he will not hesitate to protect the helpless one.
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To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.
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A warrior takes no pleasure in winning battles, for to do so would be finding gratification in the pain of others.
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Truthful words are not always beautiful; beautiful words are not always truthful.
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The thunder is loud, but the raindrops are small.
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Courage is the complement of fear. A man who is fearless cannot be courageous.
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Give a person your catch of fish and you have fed them for a day. Teach that person how to catch fish, and you have fed them for life.
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Taekwondo class is like pizza. Even when its bad, it's good.
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A student once complained, "You tell us stories, but you never reveal their meaning to us." The master replied, "How would you like it if I offered you fruit, but chewed it up for you first?"
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Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find you freedom. -F. Herbert
If you haven't failed; you're not trying hard enough. -Attila the Hun
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Those who know honor, but practice humility, will be as a valley, receiving all the world into it.
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If one does not begin with a right attitude, there is little hope for a right ending.
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Mischief results from too much opening of the mouth. -Chinese proverb
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When you sit alone, meditate on your faults. In conversation, do not discuss the faults of others.
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Over every possessor of knowledge is one who is more knowing.
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You must train the body before you can train the mind! -Bodhidharma
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One who has attained mastery of an art, reveals it in his every action.
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A journey of a 1000 miles, begins with a single step. -Chinese riddle
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Our actions always shout volumes about our character.
Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with conflict.
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Courage is acting in spite of fear. -Howard W. Hunter
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Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get.
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Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. -J. Wooden
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Without fear there are no heroes.
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Once you are in the fight, it is too late to wonder if this is a good idea.
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Never get into a fight without more ammunition that the other guy.
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Cover your buddy, so he can be around to cover for you.
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Decisions made by someone over your head will seldom be in your best interest.
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Sometimes, being good and lucky is still not enough.
If everything is as clear as a bell and everything is going exactly as planned, you're about to be surprised.
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No matter what you do, the bullet with your name on it will get you. So too may the ones addressed "To Whom It May Concern."
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If you are wearing body armor, they will probably miss that part.
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Having all your body parts intact and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative.
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If you are allergic to pain it is best to avoid a fight.
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It is a bad thing to run out of techniques, energy, and ideas all at the same time.
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Loud, sudden noises on a dark street WILL get your undivided attention.
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The further you walk into the darkness, the louder strange noises become.
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Accolades are OK, but having your body at the end of the day is better.
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Getting hit hurts!
There is no such thing as a fair fight, only ones where you win or lose.
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If you win the battle, you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose, you don't care.
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Nobody cares what you did yesterday or what you are going to do tomorrow. What is important is what you are doing NOW.
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Prayer may not help, but it can't hurt.
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Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR.
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The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.
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There are no offensive techniques in karate.
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Seek perfection of character, be faithful, endeavor, respect others, and refrain from violent behavior.
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Karate begins with courtesy. -Gichin Funakoshi
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Work as efficiently as possible, observe the leaders of the past, honor their ideas, and use some of their doctrines.
The best offense is one that stops the opponent with minimum effort.
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The correct application of any technique is what is important.
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Within kata is all one will ever need to know to defend oneself. -Richard Kim
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You must make the most strenuous efforts. Throughout this life, you can never be certain of livings long enough to take another breath.
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The foolish reject what they see, not what they think; the wise reject what they think, not what they see. -Huang Po
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Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated. - Robert McNamara
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It does not matter how slowly you do as long as you do not stop. - Confucius
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Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment. - Lao Tzu
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If one really wishes to be master of an art, technical knowledge is not enough. One has to transcend technique so that the art becomes an "artless art" growing out of the unconsciousness. - D.T. Suzuki
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If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few. - Shunryu Suzuki