Martial Art Quotes & Sayings

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

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

A kata is not fixed or immoveable. Like water, it's ever changing and fits itself to the shape of the vessel containing it. However, kata are not some kind of beautiful competitive dance, but a grand martial art of self-defense - which determines life and death. — Kenwa Mabuni

But even in my darkest days I had faith it would turn around. — Steve Harvey

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

So many people around the world have used nonviolence as a way to resolve a conflict that they faced in their lives. And they continue to use it everywhere all over the world there. And I think, in a way, nonviolence is our nature. Violence is not really our nature. If violence was our nature, we wouldn't need military academies and martial arts institutes to teach us how to kill and destroy people. We ought to have been born with those instincts. But the fact that we have to learn the art of killing means that it's a learned experience. And we can always unlearn it. — Arun Manilal Gandhi

I think every young child can learn through any martial art. They would then learn to respect their life, respect their parents, respect their country, and respect the whole world. — Jackie Chan

Martial arts is for defense. It's not for attacking. So when people are fighting, always, always, defend. — Jackie Chan

I would like to apologize to Brock Lesnar, his family, the UFC and the UFC fans for my stupid remarks. I respect Brock, all the other fighters, and the sport of mixed martial arts. I'm sorry that I stepped out of line. — Frank Mir

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

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

Jiu Jitsu forges friendships in a way I've never known. Being involved in an art as intimate as this, where bodily connection is a must, the common cultural boundaries of personal space are broken. You will never see more hugs, high fives, and physical expressions of love than on the mats. Ultimately, this proves to be one of the most fulfilling aspects of our pursuit of mastery. Along the way, we learn to love others as we love ourselves. — Chris Matakas

For me, I learnt from jiu-jitsu and martial arts to be humble and to go forward in life in a positive way. — Ricardo Liborio

It is an Akido style of martial art. The family disturber throws their disturbance at me like a punch, and I flow with it and its energy, while taking care of myself and my opponent. In Mindell's work, an attitude of eldership means the elder uses dance to dance freely between the energy of the disturber and the energy of the one disturbed. In Mindell's talk, he explains that when we get down to this level, we are in Process Mind or into the mind behind the system itself. — Gary Reiss

Miles and I had been looking to do a martial arts show for some time. Our first two movies that we wrote were "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Shanghai Noon" with Jackie Chan. Then we sort of got pulled into the superhero world, but then you look around at what's not on television and there wasn't really a martial arts shows. There are shows that do martial arts to a degree, but there's not a martial arts show. — Alfred Gough

Behind each triumph are new peaks to be conquered. — Mas Oyama

I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves. It is futile to argue as to which leaf, which design of branches, or which attractive flower you like; when you understand the root, you understand all its blossoming. — Bruce Lee

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

Throughout the course of my life, I have been very fortunate to have had excellent teachers - not just in meditation, but in martial arts, music, scuba diving, and in my academic education. — Frederick Lenz

If you had no real training, if you hadn't spent years and years studying a martial art, how would you kill the bad guy? — Chris Pine

I haven't placed any limits on myself — Randy Couture

Ohmygod," Jade whispered, panicked. She grabbed my arm and yanked, almost knocking me off balance. "Something moved in those bushes."
I shoved her off, pointed to the ground, and smiled. From under the bush, long ears attached to a tiny brown speckles head peeked out. "Yeah. That bunny is a Denazen suit in disguise. Where do you suppose he's hiding his gun? Or maybe he doesn't need one. Maybe he's a martial arts master trained in the art of kickassery. — Jus Accardo

As a young kid I was in love with breakdancing. I practiced the uprock style, which is a battle style of dance that looks like fighting. It comes from the gangs in New York in the 1960s and '70s. It's beautiful, almost like a martial art, and it can be funny, too, because you make fun of each other. — Jose Parla

Whatever one cultivates, is what one becomes. — Laozi

I don't doubt that at the dawn of martial arts, the main goal was to beat up one's opponents in the most effective way possible. But then, indirectly, the alchemy of martial arts began to strike some chords deep within the spirit of many individuals, transforming living war-machines into poets, artists, and philosophers. — Daniele Bolelli

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

I recommend for everyone the study of some type of sports or athletics, particularly martial arts. Always check with your doctor first, naturally. — Frederick Lenz

I have a martial arts background and I'm very athletic. So I think if I can find a film where a female is a badass in it - that would just be amazing. They are sometimes hard to find, but I definitely want to do something like that. — Ashley Greene

I'd always done martial arts I was always interested in fighting. — Robbie Lawler

Fighting isn't all there is to the Art of War. The men who think that way, and
are satisfied to have food to eat and a place to sleep, are mere vagabonds. A
serious student is much more concerned with training his mind and disciplining
his spirit than with developing martial skills. — Eiji Yoshikawa

When you're doing martial arts, you feel like you can master certain skills and be so much more in control of who you are, so that really appealed to me. — Milla Jovovich

People often say, 'Ah, ultimate fighting is so violent,' but it's rooted in martial arts. Martial arts incarnate respect. You can't walk into a dojo and say to your sensei, 'Hey, salut tabarnac!' After every one of my fights I go and shake the hand of my opponent. I don't need to hate the other fighter to fight him well. It's a sport. — Georges St-Pierre

Do not criticize any other martial arts or speak ill of others, as it will surely come back to you. The mountain does not laugh at the river because it is lowly, nor does the river speak ill of the mountain because it can not move. — Koichi Tohei

I think Mixed Martial Arts is going to be a huge thing coming up in pro wrestling, and I like to think of myself as one of the first guys to try and implement that into my style. — CM Punk

One of my fave TV shows is Into the Badlands because martial arts staged well and magically and saturated colours and eye candy and coherent plot and world building. It has a strong diverse cast. — Justine Larbalestier

Watercress. Jesus. He knew every gun that had ever been manufactured. Every hold in every martial art. This was beyond him. What the fuck was watercress? — Lisa Marie Rice

I'm a little greedy for action scenes. I'm a martial artist, and any time I get to show off some of that art is great. — David Ramsey

The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things. — Miyamoto Musashi

It's [Into the Badlands] something that's very, very different and I think that's why it divided critics initially because they didn't understand it or get it. They didn't understand or have a knowledge of what we were trying to do. Bringing in the Asian martial arts aesthetic to American television. For us, these are the people who will make the show a hit or a failure in future seasons. So it's for us to respect them and interact and see what they have to say. — Miles Millar

In their pure form, the martial arts demand the intense awareness of the meditative mind, and have nothing to do with anger or wanton aggression. A practitioner is taught from the outset that the skills must never be used for personal gain, but only in self-defence or in the protection of others
and even then only enough force as is absolutely necessary should be used. — David Fontana

Originally, I was interested in athletic pursuits like snowboarding, martial arts and surfing. When I went to the Himalayas and met a number of Buddhist monks I was introduced to a new way of looking at life. — Frederick Lenz

I think that a lot of people who like training with guns are probably drawn to it not only for practical reasons, but also in that same restless quest for physical excellence that draws people to a martial arts dojo. — Jonathan Gottschall

My mother had a mantra: musical instrument, foreign language, martial art. — E.L. James

I guess I'm pretty lucky because in childhood I studied so many martial arts styles and I never stopped researching them, my body is very adjustable and I can turn into different expressions with my body. — Donnie Yen

Bruce Lee brought the martial arts movie to the attention of the world - and without him, I don't think that anyone would have ever heard of Jackie Chan. — Jackie Chan

Don't be rushed, be sure. — Rickson Gracie

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

I'm as good as Jean-Claude Van Damme when it comes to martial arts. Sounding a little cocky aren't I — Talisa Soto

Kempo is for the street first; everything else is secondary. — William Kwai Sun Chow

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

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

Dinosaurs were huge and powerful; they could not adapt and they died out. And so the big difference between dinosaurs and cockroaches is adaptability: one is able to adjust, while the other, apparently, couldn't ... The same analogy applies to fighting, and probably any other sport. It's not always the strong that survive. It takes brains, guts, tolerance and forward thinking. We've seen this since the beginning of mixed martial arts. — Georges St-Pierre

Martial arts is not about picking your fights and picking how things go; it's about adapting to the how things are. — Gunnar Nelson

One of the aims of Budo is the suppression of fears. — Christian Tissier

Martial arts have two parts. One is external, other internal. The external is physical part. The internal is philosophy of how to be, what kind of person learns martial arts. — Jet Li

Jackie Chan is a very good comedy/martial arts star. He does one kind of martial arts that Jet Li doesn't know how to do and Jet Li does a martial art that Jackie Chan doesn't know how to do. You can both go to two Chinese restaurants, but both can have different kinds of food. — Jet Li

In martial arts, the biggest enemy is self. Inside you struggle because you want to prove something. — Jet Li

Martial arts has been a way of life for me since I was a young kid. It created a discipline and respect for everything. Martial arts has just made me a better person. It's a way of life. — Luke Rockhold

Unfortunately, now in boxing people are only allowed to punch. In Judo, people are only allowed to throw. I do not despise these kinds of martial arts. What I mean is, we now find rigid forms which create differences among clans, and the world of martial art is shattered as a result. — Bruce Lee

No one has the right to beat you. — Ronda Rousey

The kickboxing and the martial arts is so fun. It's like anything in school. You're not going to retain information unless you're interested in it. — Zoey Deutch

All art is political, all art is a martial one. — William C. Brown

To me, ultimately, martial arts means honestly expressing yourself. — Bruce Lee

For me, learning is a continuous process and an all-inclusive one - reading a book, learning a musical instrument or learning the martial art called taekwondo. Teach myself something new - that's my prayer. — Sonu Nigam

A martial art that has no rules is nothing but violence. — Kenji Tomiki

Naturally you need someone who is versed in the ways of power to teach you a thing or two about it. When you reach the next power level, they will teach you more. It is very much like the study of martial arts. — Frederick Lenz

Rama is a fairly common name in India. It symbolizes an individual who is interested both in enlightenment and martial arts. I do not claim to have any past life connection with the historical Rama. It's just a name I liked. — Frederick Lenz

Rather than being confined to a separate dimension, martial arts should be an extension of our way of living, of our philosophies, of the way we educate our children, of the job we devote so much of our time to, of the relationships we cultivate, and of the choices we make every day. — Daniele Bolelli

I really connected with martial arts. I'd always had a fantasy as a kid of being a ninja warrior, so it definitely answered that sort of need in my psyche, too - a need to be superpowerful. — Milla Jovovich

The real self of an artiste lies in art, so when an artiste performs, all the pain, trauma and tension get released through art, be it dancing, painting, singing, writing or even martial arts. — Mrinalini Sarabhai

Martial arts, like any art, is an unrestricted athletic expression of an individual soul. — Bruce Lee

The children right now, the young children, everybody should go to a martial arts school. Why? Because as soon as they go to a martial arts school, they learn discipline. — Jackie Chan

First of all you must understand that practising martial arts means studying a certain oriental philosophy of life, otherwise it's merely a vacuous sport devoid of any significance. — William C. Brown

Jiu Jitsu uses us to express itself, and the best thing we can do to is to become a vehicle capable of expressing Jiu Jitsu with all of its perfection minus our imperfections. — Chris Matakas

Never depart from the way of martial arts. — Miyamoto Musashi

Aikido is not ultimately Japanese: It is an art of universal truth and international significance. — Linda Holiday

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

The subtle working of ki is the maternal source that affects changes in breath. It is also the source of martial art as love. When one unifies mind and body by virtue of ki and manifests ai-ki (harmony of ki), delicate changes in breath-power occur spontaneously and "waza" (proper technique) flows freely. — Kisshomaru Ueshiba

Originally this was the most important thing about martial arts - to reach a higher level, to become a strong human being. Strong doesn't mean big arms. It means who can be a more strict human being with himself. That is the ideal of martial arts. — Tsutomu Ohshima

When I was a young stunt guy the director would say: "You're useless ... " But I wanted to be the best, I wanted to be a super stunt guy. That's how I built myself, because of martial arts and everything. — Jackie Chan

The main reason I like UFC is not just the martial arts aspect, but it's about one person against the other person. It's about being able to test yourself with the truth. — Donnie Yen

If you're studying for an exam you're not thinking about the results. If you're always worried about the results, you can't study a lot. So to be engaged and detached from the outcome is excellent. Excellence is behavior. I mean, isn't that what martial arts is about? And that's what meditation is about, that's what, in many ways, sports are about. — Deepak Chopra

The path of Martial Arts begins and ends with courtesy. So be genuinely polite on every occasion. — Mas Oyama

I think all the fight stuff. I'm cut out for that. I used to wrestle in high school so I really love it, yeah. I love all the fighting and martial arts. Hey, why am I not up there? Oh, it's just a rehearsal. Keep going. — Jaimie Alexander

Most martial arts have to do with the mind, ultimately. The ability to be unafraid, to walk away from a fight without fear - that is control. — Frederick Lenz

Relativity is a beautiful, irrifutable truth. We must acknowledge that wearing a black belt in jiu jitsu does not make you a black belt in life. In the home, there are black belts who are white belt fathers, and there are white belts who are black belt fathers. This holds true for all areas of life. A black belt does not mean you are successful in life. It does mean that you have mastered this art to an enormous degree, and that the skills you have acquired can be transmuted to a plethora of other activities. It does not mean, however, that you have done this. — Chris Matakas

People study martial arts for many reasons, sometimes all the wrong reasons. For example, I have had potential students come to my dojo with a belligerent and cocky attitude. When I ask why they want to study my art, their response has indicated to me that their goal is to learn to fight, which is the antithesis of the philosophy I hope to instill: I want them to know how to defend themselves if necessary, but to avoid fighting whenever possible because they will have nothing to prove by fighting. — Chuck Norris

Only after several years of training did I come to realize that the deepest purpose of the martial arts is to serve as a vehicle for personal spiritual development. — Joe Hyams

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

To Norwegians, the polka is a form of martial art. — Garrison Keillor

To AMC's credit, I think what they saw was the show doesn't exist in the marketplace. They knew that there was a hunger for a martial arts show. They also knew that you have this strong tradition of martial arts cinema, so even though it's not branded by a novel or a comic book or an old movie or something, we do have the genre itself, which people love. — Alfred Gough

Once I win, everyone will know who my instructor is in mixed martial arts. — Ricardo Mayorga

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

I took what worked for me and found I had a system that others were interested in and seemed to work for a wide number of people. It was recognised by other martial artists, grandmasters and such, and they gave me the recognition. I'm proud of my work in martial arts. I still teach but only once a week in a private class, and I train a couple more days a week. — Joe R. Lansdale

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

Humility is the first rule of martial arts. Either you learn humility quickly, or you leave because your ego can't handle losing repeatedly. — Georges St-Pierre

There are no shortcuts because there is no end — Kyuzo Mifune

Self-knowledge is the basis of jeet kune do because it is effective not only for the individual's martial art but also for his life as a human being. — Bruce Lee

My brothers are both 6 ft. 5 in., and if you have younger brothers who are bigger than you then you have to learn the ancient martial art of sarcasm. — Nick Moran

Train the body and develop stamina and endurance. But the spirit of competition and power that presides over them is not good, it reflects a distorted vision of life. The root of the martial arts is not there. — Taisen Deshimaru