Martial Quotes

Never write about martial arts..
if you've never been in a real fight. ~ Toba Beta

Proscription, martial law, the billeting of the rude troops, the tax collector, the unjust judge, anything at all, is sweeter than responsibility. ~ Mary McCarthy

Do not be afraid to get close to your opponent. The closer you are, the more you will learn. ~ Manuel Dos Reis Machado

I have granted you much that you asked: and yet you never cease to ask of me. He who refuses nothing, Atticilla, will soon have nothing to refuse. ~ Martial

I've been training with my mixed martial arts guy as much as I can when I'm back in L.A., so if I could do another movie like I did in 'The Killing Game,' with Samuel L. Jackson, that would be awesome. ~ Kellan Lutz

I guess that makes everyone in boots on the ground a murderer ~ Kenneth Eade

Whatever is going on inside your head has everything to do with how well you end up performing. ~ D.C. Gonzalez

I need a weapon," Valkyrie muttered.
"You're an Elemental with a Necromancer ring, trained in
a variety of martial arts by some of the best fighters in the world," Skulduggery pointed out. "I'm fairly certain that makes you a weapon."
"I mean a weapon you hold. You have a gun, Tanith has a sword ... I want a stick."
"I'll buy you a stick for Christmas. ~ Derek Landy

The best martial artist doesn't win fights, but avoids fights. Martial arts is a way of gaining basic self-mastery of your mind, body and emotions. It can also be very useful in combat situations. ~ Frederick Lenz

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. ~ Gichin Funakoshi

I know that one of the distinguishing things was I looked like I could hold a gun, even though I'd never held one before and I'm physically able to do the martial arts and all that stuff. ~ Yvonne Strahovski

There is nothing more revolting than an old busybody. ~ Martial

Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can using only their hands and feet make some of the worst movies in the history of the world. ~ Dave Barry

The only time we fail is when we stop trying. ~ Chuck Norris

Mrs. Crisparkle had need of her own share of philanthropy when she beheld this very large and very loud excrescence on the little party. Always something in the nature of a Boil upon the face of society, Mr. Honeythunder expanded into an inflammatory Wen in Minor Canon Corner. Though it was not literally true, as was facetiously charged against him by public unbelievers, that he called aloud to his fellow-creatures: 'Curse your souls and bodies, come here and be blessed!' still his philanthropy was of that gunpowderous sort that the difference between it and animosity was hard to determine. You were to abolish military force, but you were first to bring all commanding officers who had done their duty, to trial by court-martial for that offence, and shoot them. You were to abolish war, but were to make converts by making war upon them, and charging them with loving war as the apple of their eye. You were to have no capital punishment, but were first to sweep off the face of the earth all legislators, jurists, and judges, who were of the contrary opinion. You were to have universal concord, and were to get it by eliminating all the people who wouldn't, or conscientiously couldn't, be concordant. You were to love your brother as yourself, but after an indefinite interval of maligning him (very much as if you hated him), and calling him all manner of names. Above all things, you were to do nothing in private, or on your own account. You were to go to the offices of the Haven of P ~ Charles Dickens

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

Fighting is an expression. It's a form of speech, and that's why they call it martial arts. It's an art. ~ Chael Sonnen

The principle of martial arts is not a thing that can be learned, like a science, by fact-finding and instruction in facts. It has to grow spontaneously, like a flower, in a mind free from emotions and desires. ~ Bruce Lee

My mentality is that when I go to sleep at night, I'm a better martial artist than when I woke up in the morning. ~ Georges St-Pierre

I have seen far by seeing through the lens of Jiu Jitsu. I have exchanged a great deal of physical health for these insights, and these were trades worth making. My efforts were worth the return. I have sacrificed much in the name of this craft. Not for trophies or belts or prestige. For these fall away like dust. I pursued this art so fervently because it was not actually Jiu Jitsu I pursued. It was myself. ~ Chris Matakas

Those who rush are the same ones who lack technique. ~ Ryron Gracie

My health has benefited the most from practising Wing Chun. ~ Ip Chun

After I received my blue belt, I soon recognized that the belts were simply an external representation of an inner experience, and that they mattered little compared to the person I was becoming. ~ Chris Matakas

It's not what you're going to take from martial arts, it's what you have to give to martial arts ~ Saulo Ribeiro

Your technique means nothing if you're not using your talents for the betterment of humanity. ~ Gene Dunn

Take what's useful, discard what is not. ~ Bruce Lee

While I enjoy teaching people on the basic and intermediate levels to work them up to advanced levels, my real talent is for the advanced students. You could say that I'm like a ninth-degree black belt in martial arts. ~ Frederick Lenz

Justice is rendering each killer that which is his due. ~ Mark M. DeRobertis

The usefulness of the cup is its emptiness. ~ Bruce Lee

Stunt performing is a highly structured career path - you have to gain qualifications in six different sports to a high standard. It takes four or five years and costs at least £20,000; a black belt in a martial art from scratch costs a fortune. ~ Steve Truglia

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

Dying's easy." Illyan's drawn features grew distant. How much did he remember of his agonized pleading to Miles for an easy death, so few weeks ago? "Living's hard. Let the son of a bitch stand his court-martial. Every last eternal minute of it. ~ Lois McMaster Bujold

My poems are naughty, but my life is pure. ~ Martial

I don't like getting hit for one, although you know I did take Aikido for many years, but Aikido is a different kind of martial art, maybe even a more cerebral art because it's all about redirecting the energies of your opponent instead of trying to bash your opponent's head in effectively, so it's a much more loving art, so I guess I tend that way normally anyway. ~ Maurice Ashley

The shameless Chloe placed on the tombs of her seven husbands the inscription, "The work of Chloe." How could she have expressed herself more plainly? ~ Martial

I think the martial arts tradition has a big influence on our generation - we all read these novels when we were very young. ~ Wong Kar-Wai

My journalistic mission was straightforward: to await the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Nobody knew quite when this would be. But the diplomacy - the meetings in the U.N. security council, the allegations about weapons of mass destruction, the martial language of Tony Blair and George W. Bush - all suggested a war was brewing. ~ Luke Harding

However great the dish that holds the turbot, the turbot is still greater than the dish. ~ Martial

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

You Have the Power to Fulfill Your Dreams! ~ Tae Yun Kim

Virtue extends our days: he lives two lives who relives his past with pleasure. ~ Martial

The true mark of maturity is when somebody hurts you and you try to understand their situation instead of trying to hurt them back. ~ Anonymous

I was a martial artist. So, for me to be able to do all of the fights is a blast. It's so fun. It's like dancing, but more bad-ass. I really enjoy doing it. ~ Caity Lotz

I don't think I'm in any position to call myself a martial artist. I'm a student of the martial arts. ~ Lou Reed

When it's cold, water freezes into ice; when it's warm, ice melts into water. Similarly, when you are confused, essence freezes into mind; when you are enlightened, mind melts into essence. ~ Muso Soseki

Everyone knows that for a woman to conceive in the act of coition she, as well as the man. must be satisfied. Is that not true?
Of corse it is true. ~ Robin Maxwell

Understand that the essence of martial arts is not the art itself, but what's hidden deep within yourself. ~ Gogen Yamaguchi

There are three kinds of fighters: the aggressive fighter who charges in blindly trying to get the upper hand, the defensive fighter who blocks and evades until his opponent is tired, and then the most dangerous type of fighter, the one who waits for his opponent to make a mistake. ~ Aaron B. Powell

Relationships formed through Jiu Jitsu are deeply rooted in respect for one another, and this is often not the case in matters of modern society. ~ Chris Matakas

You give me nothing during your life, but you promise to provide for me at your death. If you are not a fool, you know what I wish for! ~ Marcus Valerius Martial

I have been given the rare opportunity to teach Jiu Jitsu for a living. This is a privilege that I wake up everyday grateful for, and a responsibility that I hold dearly. I understand how rare it is to be employed through a labor you genuinely love, and one which can be used as a vehicle for positive change in the lives of others. Even rarer still, I am often reminded of the quality of Jiu Jitsu I have learned, and the opportunity to have learned it. ~ Chris Matakas

We need to remember that the primary goal of Aikido is harmony and good relations between people. If we don't cultivate a harmonious heart along with technical skill, there will be a lack of integration in our practice, which will show up in behavior off the mat. ~ Linda Holiday

To achieve anything we must grind, but to enjoy anything we must flow. ~ Chris Matakas

Self-defenses mean self-defense, period. It leave nothing out. ~ Bohdi Sanders

Jiu Jitsu has shown me that we are not confined to the lot which we inherit. We are not bound to these fetters eternally. They are temporal. We can transcend them should we sincerely choose to. Sincere effort is in fact the rarest virtue among man. ~ Chris Matakas

Simplicity itself is the key. Education in ballet, dance, martial arts, etc., is done through poses, or to be more precise, through a countless series of poses. Perfection of movement is achieved through the flow of perfectly rehearsed poses. ~ Nicholas Romanov

I discovered martial arts, first judo and then karate, and I became quite good at it, because I had something to prove. And more than anything, I needed to feel safe. ~ Dolph Lundgren

I use my understanding of jiu jitsu as a road map to learn other activities. I look for the similarities between the two, and use jiu jitsu as an allegory for whatever my new practice may be. I truly believe once you have learned one thing, you have learned all things because you have learned how to learn. ~ Chris Matakas

Treat everyone with love and respect because they are your brother or your sister. ~ Ryron Gracie

Do you ask what sort of a maid I desire or dislike, Flaccus? I dislike one too easy and one too coy. The just mean, which lies between the two extremes, is what I approve; I like neither that which tortures nor that which cloys. ~ Martial

We call it training. Not because we are training for Jiu Jitsu. We are training for life. ~ Chris Matakas

I will continue to practice a martial arts form along with the mental and spiritual aspect that come with building a balanced life, and I will continue to incorporate it into whatever films I can. ~ Ryan Potter

Discipline. Honour. Respect. This is why I appreciate MMA. ~ Houston Alexander

In the martial arts, introspection begets wisdom. Always see contemplation on your actions as an opportunity to improve. ~ Mas Oyama

I believe that which you study is only matched in importance by the sincerity with which you approach it. ~ Chris Matakas

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

He who weighs his burdens, can bear them. ~ Martial

He who knows not, knows not, he knows not, he is a fool shun him.
He who knows not and knows he knows not, he is simple teach him.
He who knows and knows not that he knows, he is asleep, awaken him.
He who knows and knows that he knows, he is wise, follow him. ~ Bruce Lee

Leisure was the sine qua non of the full Renaissance. The feudal nobility, having lost its martial function, sought diversion all over Europe in cultivated pastimes: sonneteering, the lute, games and acrostics, travel, gentlemanly studies and sports, hunting and hawking, treated as arts. ~ Mary McCarthy

A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action. ~ Gogen Yamaguchi

I see martial arts as moving forms of meditation. When you're sparring or drilling techniques, you can't think of anything else. ~ Joe Rogan

Teach them ethics and martial arts and. . . I don't know. Bravery. Do you think you can teach someone to be brave? ~ Marissa Meyer

My martial arts came a lot from my uncle, who actually taught martial arts through the military. He was a black belt in tae kwon do, but also, he used a lot of military-style fighting where it's not the high kicks or anything like that. It's basically defeat your opponent as fast as possible. ~ Brian Tee

Through Jiu Jitsu I have developed many of the most meaningful relationships in my life, and if that were the only benefit of my practice, Jiu Jitsu would still be the best endeavor I have ever undertaken. ~ Chris Matakas

I was a professional fighter for a while, and I trained in martial arts for seven years, so I think that kind of helped form a base for me as far as dancing. ~ Ryan Guzman

The ultimate tyranny in a society is not control by martial law. It is control by the psychological manipulation of consciousness, through which reality is defined so that those who exist within it do not even realize that they are in prison. They do not even realize that there is something outside of where they exist. ~ Barbara Marciniak

Viatcheslav Goloubov is a Yoga Teacher/lecturer in Vancouver who provides the help of yin yoga, AcroYoga, and Martial arts. ~ Viatcheslavgoloubov

Just as a stool requires three legs to stand upright so the taekwondoist must cultivate basic skills, meaningful forms, and effective sparring in order to have both feet firmly planted in the art ~ Doug Cook

There were only two men on the planet better educated in the various martial arts than Butler, and he was related to one of them. The other lived on an island in the South China Sea, and spent his days meditating and beating up palm trees. You had to feel sorry for the B'wa Kell. ~ Eoin Colfer

This "sir, yes sir" business, which would probably sound like horseshit to any civilian in his right mind, makes sense to Shaftoe and to the officers in a deep and important way. Like a lot of others, Shaftoe had trouble with military etiquette at first. He soaked up quite a bit of it growing up in a military family, but living the life was a different matter. Having now experienced all the phases of military existence except for the terminal ones (violent death, court-martial, retirement), he has come to understand the culture for what it is: a system of etiquette within which it becomes possible for groups of men to live together for years, travel to the ends of the earth, and do all kinds of incredibly weird shit without killing each other or completely losing their minds in the process. The extreme formality with which he addresses these officers carries an important subtext: your problem, sir, is deciding what you want me to do, and my problem, sir, is doing it. My gung-ho posture says that once you give the order I'm not going to bother you with any of the details--and your half of the bargain is you had better stay on your side of the line, sir, and not bother me with any of the chickenshit politics that you have to deal with for a living. The implied responsibility placed upon the officer's shoulders by the subordinate's unhesitating willingness to follow orders is a withering burden to any officer with half a brain, and Shaftoe has more than once seen seasoned noncom ~ Neal Stephenson

The two things I understand best are stand-up comedy and martial arts. And those things require an ultimate grasp of the truth. You have to be objective about your skills and abilities to compete in both. ~ Joe Rogan

In good truth he had started in London with some vague idea that as his life in it would not be of long continuance, the pace at which he elected to travel would be of little consequence; but the years since his first entry into the Metropolis were now piled one on top of another, his youth was behind him, his chances of longevity, spite of the way he had striven to injure his constitution, quite as good as ever. He had come to that period of existence, to that narrow strip of tableland, whence the ascent of youth and the descent of age are equally discernible - when, simply because he has lived for so many years, it strikes a man as possible he may have to live for just as many more, with the ability for hard work gone, with the boon companions scattered, with the capacity for enjoying convivial meetings a mere memory, with small means perhaps, with no bright hopes, with the pomp and the circumstance and the fairy carriages, and the glamour which youth flings over earthly objects, faded away like the pageant of yesterday, while the dreary ceremony of living has to be gone through today and tomorrow and the morrow after, as though the gay cavalcade and the martial music, and the glittering helmets and the prancing steeds were still accompanying the wayfarer to his journey's end.
Ah! my friends, there comes a moment when we must all leave the coach with its four bright bays, its pleasant outside freight, its cheery company, its guard who blows the horn so merrily through ~ Charlotte Riddell

Martial arts are a vehicle for developing your human potential. ~ Joe Rogan

You can't, in the 21st century, continue to live in a system where people live under martial law for 30 years. ~ Mohamed ElBaradei

In adversity it is easy to despise life; he is truly brave who can endure a writeched life ~ Martial

It was 'Shaolin Temple,' Jet Li's first movie. That was the movie that got me to want to learn martial arts. Then I became a huge Jet Li/Jackie Chan fan after that. ~ Daniel Wu

Martial arts is not about fighting; it's about building character. ~ Bo Bennett

If you try to learn with your intellect, it is more difficult to absorb the teachings on a deep level. The mind looks at something and says, I don't want that; I want this instead. But as you simply continue to train, something changes. What changes is deeper than your intellectual knowledge, deeper than mind or heart. ~ Linda Holiday

The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them ~ Miyamoto Musashi

He hadn't landed on the battlefield to save Christina, at least not entirely. He'd landed there because it was meant to be – because his destiny lay with a bonny woman who would capture his heart and show him honor and respect on a uniquely deep level that had been lost in the twenty-first century. ~ Amy Jarecki

If losing a fight is the worst thing that's ever happened to you in your life, you're doing pretty good. ~ Randy Couture

A black belt is nothing more than a belt, a piece of cloth. Your ultimate goal should not be to get your black belt. Your ultimate goal should be to be a black belt. Being a black belt is a state of mind, a way of life. ~ Bohdi Sanders

Through my willingness to train every day and to dig deep in the after-class ukemi sessions, over time I earned the respect and friendship of my training partners, who were mostly Japanese men sincerely surprised to find themselves training with an American woman. ~ Linda Holiday

The real fighter knows perfectly well that there is no difference between victory and defeat, friend and enemy, day and night, life and death. ~ William C. Brown

Her heartbeat was a broken metronome. ~ Armada West

The real purpose of the martial arts must be to purge oneself of petty ambitions and desire, to obtain control of one's own character. ~ Morihei Ueshiba

I've been chastised for going into mixed martial arts and backing out. But the reason I backed out was the terms - they wanted me ready to fight in four weeks, but you've got to be out of your mind. So I decided to go back to my roots, back to wrestling. ~ Kurt Angle

The flaw which is hidden is deemed greater than it is. ~ Martial

The highest aim was never to master Jiu Jitsu; it was to master myself. ~ Chris Matakas

Move quickly. Sound, calm mind. Be light in body. Have a clever mind. Master the basics. ~ Gogen Yamaguchi