General Quotes
"Today is reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history.""You can't exercise by sight because your sight will make you quit. You need to exercise by faith." ~ Billy Blanks
"It's more than just karate!" ~ Robert Cheezic
"A black belt is a white belt who never quits!" ~ Unknown
It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up. ~ Muhammad Ali
One man that has a mind and knows it, can always beat ten men who haven't and don't. ~ George Bernard Shaw
Deja F: The feeling that somehow, somewhere, you've been kicked in the head like this before. ~ Unknown
Karate is a defensive art from beginning to end. ~ Gingrich Funafuti
None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear. ~ Ferdinand Foch
In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win. ~ Jonathan Kozol
Never fight an inanimate object. ~ P. J. O'Rourke
It is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head. ~ Sally Kempton
Relaxation is the key that unlocks speed and power. ~ Bob Orlando
Natural movement is the shortest way to an effective result. Like the way the water runs, it always finds the right way. ~ Vladimir Vasiliev
A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies. ~ Oscar Wilde
It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them. ~ Alfred Adler
In accordance with our principles of free enterprise and healthy competition, I'm going to ask you two to fight to the death for it. ~ Monty Python
I have not failed 700 times, I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work. ~ Thomas Edison
All in all, martial artists are just people and some of us need to be reminded of that from time to time. ~ Richard Ryan
Teaching Quotes
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." ~ Confucius
Do not covet illustrious titles and certificates; practice your technique and adhere to the Way, for the wind will not read. ~ F. L. Lovret
The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants. ~ Gichin Funakoshi
No matter how you may excel in the art of Karate, and in your scholastic endeavors, nothing is more important than your behavior and your humanity as observed in daily life. ~ Gichin Funakoshi
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. ~ Confucius
What it does determines what it is. ~ Bob Orlando
Remember... you are expressing the technique, not doing the technique. ~ Bruce Lee
In a fight between a strong technique and a strong body, technique will prevail. In a fight between a strong mind and a strong technique, mind will prevail, because it will find the weak point. ~ Taisen Deshimaru
A martial artist is dynamite packed into flesh and fiber, and is measured not only by the power of his potential explosiveness, but also by the length of his fuse. Good martial artists have very long fuses. Great martial artists have none at all. ~ Tony Annesi
Understand the history and traditions of a style but do not be a slave to them. ~ Tony Annesi
Training Quotes
Follow not in the footsteps of the masters, but rather seek what they sought. ~ Unknown
All Martial Artists are beginners; Some of us have just been beginning longer! ~ J.R. West
Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not you go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it. ~ Bruce Lee
Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teachings there are. The Great Path is really NO PATH. ~ Ueshiba Morihei
The black belt is not a mark or symbol of the end of the journey to ones mastery of the arts; rather it is the mark that one is done packing for their journey and may now take the first step in their true journey. This a journey which can not ever be complete, only traveled... ~ Unknown
You may train for a 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 a dance. You will never have reached the heart of the matter; you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of karate-do. ~ Gichin Funakoshi
Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay it's price. ~ Sun Tzu
It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. ~ Confucius
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. ~ Jim Ryun
Master the principles and you master the techniques. ~ Bob Orlando
What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight - it's the size of the fight in the dog. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. ~ Antoine de Saint Exupery
"It takes courage to face danger, but you need technique to defend yourself. " ~ Hwang Kee
"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." ~ Bruce Lee
“I am not a superstar, I am an ordinary guy. People ask me if I have a secret to become Eighth Degree Black Belt (Pal Dan). Yes, here is my secret: I persevered. I ran only one race, and I ran, ran, ran until all my competitors dropped out. You don't need to be super talented to be a success, but quitting is poison. With Tang Soo Do, you always have a chance to be a little better next time. This is the martial art principle I teach: perseverance." ~ Jae Shin
Martial Arts Philosophy
"The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants." ~ Gichin Funakoshi
"No matter how you may excel in the art of Karate, and in your scholastic endeavors, nothing is more important than your behavior and your humanity as observed in daily life." ~ Gichin Funakoshi
The secret principle of martial arts is not vanquishing the attacker, but resolving to avoid an encounter before its occurrence. To become an object of an attack is an indication that there was an opening in one's guard, and the important thing is to be on guard at all times. ~ Gichin Funakoshi
“He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” (John 8:3) ~ Jesus
“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) ~ Jesus
That which does not kill us, must have missed us. ~ Miowara Tomoka
Karate is not about winning. It's about not losing. ~ Shigetoshi Senaha
Karate begins and ends with respect. ~ Anko Itosu
You might as well stand and fight because if you run, you will only die tired. ~ Vern Jocque
In true budo there is no enemy or opponent. True budo is to become one with the universe, not train to become powerful or to throw down some opponent. Rather we train in hopes of being of some use, however small our role may be, in the task of bringing peace to mankind around the world. ~ Morihei Ueshiba
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. ~ Unknown
Character is what you have left when you've lost everything you can lose. ~ Evan Esar
I'm glad I didn't have to fight in any war. I'm glad I didn't have to pick up a gun. I'm glad I didn't get killed or kill somebody. I hope my kids enjoy the same lack of manhood. ~ Tom Hanks
The key quality that anyone has to develop - a regular person as well as a warrior - is humility. If you don’t try to develop humility, what you end up developing is pride, and that’s destructive; it destroys yourself and it destroys the world around you. ~ Vladimir Vasiliev
The final purpose of all the arts is self-development. ~ Tony Annesi
If you want peace, stop fighting. If you want peace of mind, stop fighting with your thoughts. ~ Peter McWilliams
Not even the gods fight against necessity. ~ Simonides
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Who has a harder fight than he who is striving to overcome himself. ~ Thomas a Kempis
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. ~ Napoleon Bonaparte
Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential. ~ Bruce Lee
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. ~ Lao-Tzu
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