Favorite Quotes

Over the years I have read some amazing quotes written by some amazing persons. The trainee should read these from time to time as they train and then spend some considerable time reflecting on their meaning. You will find that over time your interpretation of the quotes may change, change is good.

I have other quotes at the head of many of my web pages which may be repeated here so please excuse the duplication. I have also tried to provide the source of the quote in the event one would want to go further. If I have provided a quote with no reference and you know it then I would appreciate it a good deal if you would write me with the quote and source reference (snow (dot) covered (dot) bamboo (at symbol) gmail (dot) com).

Many of these quotes come from my readings.

You will also see within these quotes contradictions. This does not invalidate the quote yet it should stimulate additional thought and practice.

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"Karate comes down to skill, conditioning and character, not logos, patches, sayings, or writing on the belt (or all over the gi). Everything in Karate is inside you. If you can buy it -- that's not it." - Charles C. Goodin Sensei Hawaii Karate Museum and Karate Thoughts Blog

"Kata are not merely treated as fundamentals/basics put together in a pattern to be performed only with attention to outward form but are regarded as reference tools for learning fighting strategies." - OSLO BudoKan Karate Web Site

"Kata are not like trophies or medals. They have no value unless you understand them well." Charles C. Goodin Sensei

"...it is important not to tie kata to specific ranks. Instread, it is important to tie kata to specific skill sets, specific body mechanics, specific applications, etc." - Charles C. Goodin Sensei

"More than telling me your current rank, show me. Show me your rank both in and outside the dojo in your kindness, humility, humor, generosity, spirit, and knowledge. Are you kind to your kohai? Do you respect your senpai? More than a connection to my rank, I have a connection to my training, knowledge and relationships that are part of my Karate-do and Kobu-do experience." - Mario McKenna Sensei on Karate and Kobudo Blog

"Through the study of Kata, one will experience the true spirit of actual fighting, and comprehend the principles of technique." - Keiko Fukuda, Kudan, Judo (Oldest living woman judoka)

"More often than not, our greatest battles will be waged inside of us, and it is on this inner field of battle where we will confront the most formidable enemy of all, ourselves." - Kata and the Transmission of Knowledge in Traditional Martial Arts

"To some, the Greek martial arts may seem simple, but in combat,simplistic often means success." - Kata and the Transmission of Knowledge in Traditional Martial Arts

"Once you practice bunkai, you will see how the movements within a kata connect to each other, and how they connect to movements in other kata. Kata are useful tools, not sacred formula." - Charles Goodin "The Way of Bunkai"

"Karate should allow individuals to develop their own ethics, spirit, values, and integrity. Karate is an individual accomplishment rather than a public recognition of improvement." - Yukiyoshi Marutani

"Power or physical strength should be relegated to a secondary position and efforts should be made to gain experience in the control and employment of spirit or mind (ki), for when this is accomplished, the right application of strength will become spontaneous." - Harrison, E. J. The Fighting Spirit of Japan

"In the unity of knowledge and action imposed by self-discipline, a person can arrive at a level of self-understanding unattainable by any other means." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"The concept of "do" implies harmony." "One way a person may harmonize themselves with nature is through their dedication to a "do" form. Such dedication means beginning with a high degree of physical activity, for no understanding of the "do", let alone mastery, is possible by any other means." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"It should be understood that the budo were not created as forms of social amusement or sport, or as methods for the display of pure aesthetic artistry. They were intended to be austere disciplines that engage and train the mind directly, in serving one's daily life through a process of dedicated and protracted training. The classical budo are meant to be experienced, serving as a pattern of behavior for life and self." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"What is known through short-term learning soon fades; that known by long-term learning is forever with the possessor." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"Nothing can be taught by the instructor or learned by the trainee unless the trainee applies themselves with a desperate effort to the process of sei-shin tanren, "spiritual forging." What is given this effort by seishin (mind, spirit, soul), or "spiritual energy," is modulated by kokoro (mind, spirit, mentality), the "hot, sweat-bespattered core of man" that is the heart center of the creative power of the self." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"The workings of the mind and the sincerity of the heart categorically determine progress in pursuing the do." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"The fundamental concept of learning; self-activity contains the idea that the trainee must establish a readiness for training." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"Shugyo, or 'austere training,' level. Training in gyo is the 'blood, sweat, and tears' training and either makes or breaks the trainee." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"In shugyo, as in gyo, repetition is the core training method." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"Kata becomes the expression of the trainee's mind and body." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"The method of kata is always repetition, both mechanical and spiritual." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"The dojo, a place of severe confrontation between oneself and one's self." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"The 'pure' mind is makoto, the 'stainless mind,' which is undisturbed by external nonessentials." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"Mastery itself is never transmitted from one person to another; it comes from within one's self." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"Practice of a skill serves an ulterior purpose, the development of the self." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"A trainee's mind: at first (gyo) they can only see the hand; later (shugyo) they see the finger; still later (jutsu) they see that finger pointing; and finally (do) they see what the finger is pointing at." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"Meditation gives a chance for the vital 'loosening' of one's inner powers. It is a practice that builds hara, that patient, calm, and undisturbed coolness of mind essential to discipline. It is a catalyst to wisdom; wisdom is the function of meditation. Through meditation the trainee brings themselves to a new dimension in spiritual strength, literally a new frame of mind. The strength so gained is elastic and durable, for their frame of mind brings an inner awareness enabling them to respond to whatever situation may arise."

"The cultivation of the ability to act with complete moral integrity in everyday life; shin-ki-ryoku. Shin, or mind, enables the self to determine what is right and good from what is wrong and evil. Ki, or spirit, is the inner power by which one carries out that which is judged to be good and therefore right even at the risk of losing one's life. Ryoku, or energy, is the physical power through which one manifests and practices good and right." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"The early stages of a trainee's development in karate they must always be careful to avoid reliance on physical strength, for such is an obstacle in the way of their progress toward the gaining of skill in technique. After the trainee has developed a creditable technique, however, then the use of power is acceptable and, in fact, absolutely necessary to their effectiveness in dealing with an adversary." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"Classical budo teaches calmness and emotional stability." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"Budo is not a trifling matter begun for fun or whim. And it is not to be engaged in for personal pleasure or social amusement." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"It is patent that no sport can ever be a true classical do form; no classical do form can ever house a sport entity. The primary purpose of a sport form is the establishment of better records or championships, as well as the development of individual stars or champions." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"To become a classical do a sport entity must drop all notions of competition and record breaking, of immediate results for championships, of garnering group prestige, and concentrate upon the individual's self-perfection as the end point of training." - Donn F. Draeger, Classical Budo: The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan

"It is not good to think that you are always wrong, but it is also not good to think that you are always right." -Kodo Ancient Ways

"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 Unconscious." - D.T. Suzuki

"Maintain the mind that releases the mind" - Chung-feng

"The training for defeating enemies is by way of many contests, fighting for survival, discovering the meaning of life and death, judging the strength of attacks and understanding the Way."

"Stategy is the craft of the warrior. There is no warrior in the world today who really understands the Way of strategy." - Musashi

"Do not conquer the world with force, for force only causes resistance. Thorns spring up when an army passes. Years of misery follow a great victory. Do only what needs to be done. Without using violence."

"He Who Knows Others Is Wise. He Who Knows Himself Is Enlightened." -Tao Te Ching

"To generate great power you must first totally relax and gather your strength, and then concentrate your mind and all your strength on hitting your target." - Joe Hyams

"The moon's reflection on the surface of the water moves incessantly. Yet the moon shines and goes no-where; it stays but it moves." - Taisen Deshimaru

"The foolish reject what they see, not what they think; the wise reject what they think, not what they see." - Huang Po

"If I am holding a cup of water and I ask you, "is the cup empty?" you will say "No, it is full of water." But if I pour out the water and I ask you again, you may say, "yes, it is empty." but, empty of what?....My cup is empty of water, but it is not empty of air. To be empty is to be empty of something." - unknown

"If we fail to cultivate our life, like a garden neglected, whatever happens, happens. " - Zen Saying from Rhinoceros Zen

"In Karate, the issue is how we change ourselves by understanding technique." - Chester Holubecki Sensei

"Let knowledge remain at the front of your head so as to keep your head low with humility and respect."

"Practice strengthens muscle and bone, improves the digestive organs, and regulates blood circulation."

"Oku myo zai ren shin: Deep reality exists in training the heart and mind" - Sakiyama

"In the unchanging, there is existence; in the unchanging, there is non-existence." - Lao Tzu

"performance imagery enhances progression if one visualizes engagement during training."

"Cultivation of your mind requires repetition over a long time as if you were forging metals."

"Karate-do is not only the acquisition of certain defensive skills but also the mastering of the arts of being a good and honest member of society." - Funakoshi

"It is the very mind itself that leads the mind astray; of the mind, do not be mindless." -Takuan Soho

"Delusion and the awakening - both can come and go slowly or suddenly. " - shen hui

"The mind must always be in the state of 'flowing', for when it stops anywhere that means that the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption that is injurious to the well-being of the mind." - Joe Hyams

"It is not good to think that you are always wrong, but it is also not good to think that you are always right." -Kodo Ancient Ways

"When you do not know the advantages and disadvantages of form, you will make mistakes. " - Issai Chozanshi

"Transform yourself according to your opponent" - Funakoshi

" Karate is an art. It must be regarded as such with its entirety of philosophical thought and development of the mind in harmony with the body." - Isao Obata

"The one life has not form and is empty by nature. If you become attached by any form, you should reject it. 
If you see an ego, a soul, a birth, or a death, reject them all." - Bodhidharma

"Do not let your opponent see your spirit" - Miyamoto Musashi

"To attain the way ... You must study fully ... And not deviate even a little from the way. " - Musashi

"The less effort, the faster and more powerful you will be." - Bruce Lee

"If you practise day and night your spirit will naturally broaden."

"True Zen means sitting quietly in the right posture. Zen means setting the mind at rest, concentrating intuition and reasoning together. Zen is not some special state, it is our normal condition, silent, peaceful, awake, without agitation." - Taisen Deshimaru

"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

"A battle may take a minute, a year, a lifetime. Always do your best." - unknown

PRACTICE (again and again), PRACTICE ( till you get it right)
PRACTICE (till it becomes second nature), PRACTICE (over and over)
PRACTICE (1,000 times then practice more) and bunkai will come to you.

"To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to understand all things." - Zen Master

"It is never easy or to late to start. " - Jeffrey M. Brooks

"Not everyone was meant to follow the warrior's way. Those that are will discover that in their own time." - Charles E. James, Sensei

"Conduct yourself humanly with persevering balance." - unknown

"What is the path? Everyday life is the path, he answered." - Zen Master Nan-sen

"The wisdom of strategy is different from other things. On other battlefield, even when you are hard-pressed, you should ceaselessly research the principles of strategy so that you can develop a steady spirit."

"When your opponent pushes hard, you must react softly. This will enable you to redirect the attacker's energy - effectively using their own power against themselves" - Kakie Training

"When we do zazen it's like fishing for the moon and tilling the clouds. The mind grows vast, everything becomes calm, and we become intimate with ourselves." -Master Taisen Deshimaru

"One's progress depends upon the intensity with which one devotes themselves to constant practice." - unknown

"With your spirit settled, accumulate practice day by day, and hour by hour."

"Nothing wears away hard, strong rocks as well as soft, weak water." - unknown

"Archery, fencing, spear fighting, all of the martial arts, tea ceremony, flower arranging…in all of these, correct breathing, correct balance, and correct stillness help to remake the individual. The basic aim is always the same: by tirelessly practicing a given skill, the student finally sheds the ego with its fears, worldly ambitions, and reliance on objective scrutiny - sheds it so completely that he becomes the instrument of a deeper power, from which mastery falls instinctively, without further effort on his part, like a ripe fruit." - Karlfried Graf Durckheim

"You must return to the dojo and next time you be careful not to touch the tiger's whiskers. " - Zen Saying

"A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action." -Samurai maxim

"When we recognize the impermanence of all aspects of our lives we can begin to see that our happiness depends exclusively on doing right. " - Brooks

"Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious." - Daisetsu Suzuki

"Breathing is not just the physiological process of inhaling and exhaling. It is the conscious ordering of the breath so that it blends smoothly with the movement of the body and the flow of the spirit." - Onuma Hideharu with Dan and Jackie DeProspero

"In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness."

"Just as it is the clear mirror that reflects without distortion, or the quiet valley that echoes a sound, so must one who would study Karate-do purge himself of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can he understand that which he receives." - Master Funakoshi

"Karate is the art of virtuous men." - Funakoshi

"Unless the student and teacher enter a relationship, gradually, with knowledge, with a close observation of the other person over time, an informed, honest and deeply trusting connection between the two - the basis of effective practice - will not form. It takes both self-confidence and mutual respect every step of the way. " - Jeffrey M. Brooks

" Karate is like philosophy. Everybody has his own opinion. Who is right? Who is wrong? Nobody can say. Each and everyone must try to attain his/her goal and show that they have created something in their lifetimes." - Mitsusuke Harada

"You may train for a long, 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 to dance. You will never have reached the heart of the matter; you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of karate-do." - Gichin Funakoshi

"In Karate training one must determine whether the interpretation of a movement is suitable for defense or for cultivating the body."

"When you seek it, you cannot find it." - Zen riddle

"performance imagery enhances progression if one visualizes engagement during practice." - Unknown

" To polish means to face yourself straight, to recognize your weaknesses, to eliminate them, and courageously step forward. This action, experience, and practice is the only way we can improve and free ourselves of our mental blocks..." - Tsutomu Ohshima

Adult black belt should mean, "You have earned your wings. Welcome to the sky." - unknown

"The no-mind not-thinks no-thoughts about no-things" - The Buddah

"If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things." - Vincent Van Gogh

"The one life has not form and is empty by nature. If you become attached by any form, you should reject it. 
If you see an ego, a soul, a birth, or a death, reject them all." - Bodhidharma

"When your practice of technique is mature, you control your ki and settle your spirit. " - Issai Chozanshi

"Toku wa shiru ni yorazu okono ni are: Virtue lies not in knowing but in doing." - Japanese Aphorism

"Opportunity is most important, and thinking can not create it. Only consciousness can seize upon the opportunity for action, the empty space in which one must act." - Suki

"When you do not know the advantages and disadvantages of form, you will make mistakes. " - Issai Chozanshi

"One thousand days to forge the spirit and ten thousand to polish it. " -Master Miyamoto Musashi

"Having a practice provides us with an ideal toward which to strive and against which we can measure our lives." - Rhinoceros Zen

"Without muddiness in the water of the mind, clear is the moon. Even the waves break upon it and are changed into light." - Dogen

"The dojo is a place of awakening, not a hall of competition. The dojo is to be used judiciously to cultivate abilities and to nurture them in their own time, as opposed to demanding progress in technique regardless of circumstance.
The dojo is a place to share respect for others, regardless of technical skill...

The relationship between student and teacher is complex, based deeply on trust, integrity, and honesty. As a teacher, my duty is to see that the student grows in ability, not because of pressure and competition but in spite of it. As a student, my responsibility is to give my fullest attention to those who would impart something of themselves to bring evolution and well-being to my existence." - Helen Michiyo Nakano Sensei Renshi and co-founder of the United States Naginata Federation

"Before enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water; after enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water." - Zen Saying

"The moon's reflection on the surface of the water moves incessantly. Yet the moon shines and goes no-where; it stays but it moves." Deshimaru

"True Zen means sitting quietly in the right posture. Zen means setting the mind at rest, concentrating intuition and reasoning together. Zen is not some special state, it is our normal condition, silent, peaceful, awake, without agitation." - Taisen Deshimaru

"Practice of budo provides a means of self-defense, cultivation of moral character, training of intellect, and applying the theory of combat across a spectrum of life to master a method for tackling things on your own." - Jigoro Kano Sensei

"A teacher can only transmit a technique or enlighten you to principle, but receiving the truth of the matter is something within yourself." - The Dispatch

"There may be no direct worldly profit from pursuing the Do arts of Japan, but it gives us an opportunity to gain insight into our very soul." - Wayne Muromoto

"Disciplined activity gives rise to a unity of thought and action, mind and body...action, more than words, was the way to self-perfection." - H. E. Davey

"The aim in copying the teacher's technique is not to make a flawless copy; rather, the goal is to discover the essential quality, contained inside a given lesson or particular technique, of all techniques. We copy and study a particular technique to lay hold of the universal principles that allow the technique to operate in the first place and that will at last empower us to rise above form to discover the formless." - H. E. Davey excerpt from Living the Japanese Arts and Ways

"Ware tada taru o shiru" "I do not know much. I only know that I am perfectly satisfied." - Zen saying

"Kata - Traditional, formal exercises designed to preserve and communicate the essential principles of an art." - H. E. Davey

"Keiko or practice; practice in the Do is not a matter of 'beginning a course' or 'taking a class.' Instead, students of the ways run through actions that they have repeated thousands of times in the past. Learning takes place but frequently on subconscious and intuitive levels." - H. E. Davey

"Fear, that which is manifested by the ego who focuses on the past and future. Overcome fear by becoming tuned to only the present; the now; this moment; nothing more; nothing less." - James

"Power over others is weakness disguised as strength. True power is within, and it is available to you now." - Eckhart Tolle

“Remain nonreactive and absolutely alert when confronted with challenging people or situations. Immediately accept the situation, be one with it, then out of alertness will come a response.” – Eckhart Tolle

"In actual fact, the teaching of the Martial Arts in its deepest sense is an initiation into the powers of mind and body." - Michel Random

"Once you practice bunkai, you will see how the movements within a kata connect to each other, and how they connect to movements in other kata. Kata are useful tools, not sacred formula." - Charles Goodin "The Way of Bunkai"

"I am not repeating a single technical movement merely to master a particular technique. Real mastery of karate requires self-mastery, and by perfecting my technique, I have a chance to perfect myself - If I approach karate in the right manner." - H. E. Davey

"It is preferable to practice a moderate amount on a continual basis than to practice a great deal from time to time." - H. E. Davey

"Karate should allow individuals to develop their own ethics, spirit, values, and integrity. Karate is an individual accomplishment rather than a public recognition of improvement." - Yukiyoshi Marutani

"...any activity can become meditation and function as a Way. In this sense, it is not so much what you do, but how you do it that is meaningful." - H. E. Davy

"Fear, that which is manifested by the ego who focuses on the past and future. Overcome fear by becoming tuned to only the present; the now; this moment; nothing more; nothing less." - c. e. james

"Spirit: as expressed by tradition, heritage, ideals, discipline, and other similar concepts which we manifest in our physical life." - Kushi

"The person that controls the distance and space in combat controls the entire encounter." - H. E. Davey

"The aim in copying the teacher's technique is not to make a flawless copy; rather, the goal is to discover the essential quality, contained inside a given lesson or particular technique, of all techniques. We copy and study a particular technique to lay hold of the universal principles that allow the technique to operate in the first place and that will at last empower us to rise above form to discover the formless." - H. E. Davey excerpt from Living the Japanese Arts and Ways

"Kata - Traditional, formal exercises designed to preserve and communicate the essential principles of an art." - H. E. Davey

"Keiko or practice; practice in the Do is not a matter of 'beginning a course' or 'taking a class.' Instead, students of the ways run through actions that they have repeated thousands of times in the past. Learning takes place but frequently on subconscious and intuitive levels." - H. E. Davey

"Emotional self-control is NOT the same as overcontrol, the stifling of all feeling and spontaneity....when such emotional suppression is chronic, it can impair thinking, hamper intellectual performance and interfere with smooth social interaction. By contrast, emotional competence implies we have a choice as to how we express our feelings." - Daniel Goleman

"Restraint offers a space between intention and action and the opportunity to protect others from actions or reactions that should exist only in your imagination." - Stephanie Dourick

"Fighting/Martial maturity begins with the awareness of and concern for the violence within. It begins with acceptance of one's power and skills and the ability to see the differences. It begins when we are cognizant of all the implications as a result of our power and skills." - c. e. james

The kenpo gokui is that one singular computer program statement, i.e. an if-else-then statement, that directs us toward the various answers provided by the Ultimate mainframe computer called the Tao or the Universe. - c. e. james 

What are your favorite quotes?

Regards,

Charles J.  

p.s. It has been a few years so these are not up to date except for one, the following:

If your monkey/tribal brain is working your human/thinking brain is not.
If you are feeling emotion, you are not thinking.  That part of your brain is turned off.
If it is about who did or said it and not what was said, you are in your tribal brain.
If you label anyone, it is a tactic to put that person in another tribe specifically so that you don't have to listen to the content.

People who disagree with you are rarely stupid.  If you cannot effectively, compassionately and convincingly argue the other side's point of view, you are the one in your tribal brain.  You are the stupid one.

- Rory Miller at Chiron Blog "Silly Season" http://chirontraining.blogspot.com/2012 ... eason.html

Miller's Law: "In order to understand what another person is saying, you must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of." - Dr. George Miller, Psychologist.