Gichin Funakoshi Quotes

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.

Only through training will a person learn his own weaknesses ... He who is aware of his weaknesses will remain master of himself in any situation.

One whose spirit and mental strength have been strengthened by sparring with a never-say-die attitude should find no challenge too great to handle. One who has undergone long years of physical pain and mental agony to learn one punch, one kick, should be able to face any task, no matter how difficult, and carry it through to the end. A person like this can truly be said to have learned karate.

Any man will be able, after sufficient practice, to accomplish remarkable feats of strength, but he may go only so far and no farther. There is a limit to human physical strength that no one can exceed.

When you look at life think in terms of karate. But remember that karate is not only karate
it is life.

Seek perfection of character. Be faithful. Endeavor. Respect others. Refrain from violent behaviour.

Success, cannot be attained alone. Any person's time and power is limited. A wise leader enlists others in working toward organizational goals.

The correct understanding of Karate and its proper use is Karate-do. One who truly trains in this do [way] and actually understands Karate-do is never easily drawn into a fight.

Once a kata has been learned, it must be practised repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency, for knowledge of just the sequence of a kata in karate is useless.

Karate is a defensive art from beginning to end.

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.

Karate-do strives internally to train the mind to develop a clear conscience, enabling one to face the world honestly, while externally developing strength to the point where one may overcome even ferocious wild animals. Mind and technique become one in true karate.

True karate is this: that in daily life one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility, and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice.

Try to do exactly as you are taught without complaining or quibbling.

In battle, do not think that you have to win. Think rather that you do not have to lose.

Only a true weakling is capable of true courage.

Karate is like boiling water, if you do not heat it constantly, it will cool.

A student well versed in even one technique will naturally see corresponding points in other techniques. A upper level punch, a lower punch, a front punch and a reverse punch are all essentially the same. Looking over thirty-odd kata, he should be able to see that they are essentially variations on just a handful.

The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.

When there are no avenues of escape or one is caught even before any attempt to escape can be made, then for the first time the use of self-defense techniques should be considered. Even at times like these, do not show any intention of attacking, but first let the attacker become careless. At that time attack him concentrating one's whole strength in one blow to a vital point and in the moment of surprise, escape and seek shelter and help.

Students of any art, including Karate-do must never forget the cultivation of the mind and the body.

Hoping to see karate included in the universal physical education taught in our public schools, I set about revising the kata so as to make them as simple as possible. Times change, the world changes, and obviously the martial arts must change too. The karate that high school students practice today is not the same karate that was practiced even as recently as ten years ago [this book was written in 1956], and it is a long way indeed from the karate I learned when I was a child in Okinawa.

Karate is a technique that permits one to defend himself with his bare hands and fists without weapons.

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.

Karate-do begins with courtesy and ends with rei.

Always be ready to release your mind.

When you leave your home, think that you have numerous opponents waiting for you (it is your behavior that invites trouble from them).

Think of everyday life as karate training.

Beginners must master low stance and posture, natural body positions are for the advanced.