100+ Inspiring Karate Quotes to Motivate Your Martial Arts Journey

"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

""No one will hit you harder than life itself. It doesn't matter how hard you hit back. It's about how much you can take, and keep fighting, how much you can suffer and keep moving forward. That's how you win.""

- Anderson Silva

"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

- Bruce Lee (Jeet Kune Do)

"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser like force."

- Bruce Lee

"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."

- Bruce Lee

""The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of character.""

- Gichin Funakoshi

"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

"Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them."

- Bruce Lee

"Choose the positive. You have choice - you are master of your attitude - choose the POSITIVE, the CONSTRUCTIVE. Optimism is a faith that leads to success."

- Bruce Lee

"Remember, success is a journey not a destination. Have faith in your ability. You will do just fine."

- Bruce Lee

""The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.""

- Gichin Funakoshi

"There is no losing in Jiu-Jitsu. You either win or you learn."

- Carlos Gracie Jr.

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

- Gichin Funakoshi

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

- Gichin Funakoshi

"The most important thing is not victory, the most important thing is don't get defeated."

- Rickson Gracie

"Our fears don't stop death, they stop life."

- Rickson Gracie

"Everybody has fear. The difference is that the coward does not control fear and the brave... gets over it."

- Rickson Gracie

"To practice kata is not to memorize an order. Find the katas that work for you, understand them, digest them & stick with them for life."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"Jiu Jitsu is about waiting for the right time to do the right move."

- Ryron Gracie

"Be the change you want to see on the mat."

- Ryron Gracie

"Forget about winning or losing - put your focus on learning developing. It's a much better long-term strategy, trust me."

- Nicolas Gregoriades

"Karate always begins and ends with courtesy."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"There is no first strike in karate."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"What you habitually think largely determines what you will ultimately become."

- Bruce Lee

"Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick."

- Bruce Lee

""To be able to tell any man that he cannot defeat you is to wield true power.""

- Saulo Ribeiro

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

- Gandhi

"SHUCHU RYOKU - Focus all your energy to one point."

- Shioda Gozo, Founder of Yoshinkan / Yoshinkai Aikido

"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

"Always assume that your opponent is going to be bigger, stronger and faster than you; so that you learn to rely on technique, timing and leverage rather than brute strength"

- Helio Gracie

"I knew I wasn't going to lose and that was based on the fact that I wanted not to lose."

- Helio Gracie

"The best fighter is someone who never has to fight because they control the situation."

- Bruce Lee

"The big, strong, tough guy goes to class, and he keeps getting tapped by the skinny, technical guy. It begins to change him. It makes him humble. That's what Jiu Jitsu does to you. It makes you humble."

- Relson Gracie

"Spirit first, technique second."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"You can only fight the way you practice."

- Miyamoto Musashi

"If you are ready to die, then you are ready to live."

- Rickson Gracie

"True strength is not always shown through victory. Stand up, try again and display strength of heart."

- Rickson Gracie

"My code of life and my personal bushido is honour, respect, loyalty, courage and surrender."

- Rickson Gracie

"Self-defence, self-confidence, discipline and self control. The values you learn are priceless."

- Rickson Gracie

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."

- Dalai Lama

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination."

- Tommy Lasorda

""Win or lose you will never regret working hard, making sacrifices, being disciplined or focusing too much.""

- John Smith

""I believe I can do things people think are impossible.""

- Anderson Silva

""Do or do not, there is no try.""

- Yoda, Star Wars

""If you train 100% the result will be 100%.""

- Anderson Silva

""The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.""

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

""Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.""

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

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

- Jitsumi Gogen Yamaguchi

""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.""

- George "Rush" St. Pierre

""Strength is not born from strength. Strength can be born only from weakness. So be glad of your weaknesses now, they are the beginnings of your strength.""

- Dr. Claire Weekes

""One training session won't change anything, but 10 will. Perseverance and straight up training.""

- Mauricio Rua

""Obstacles aren't there to stop you. They are put there to show you how powerful you can feel when you run right over them.""

- Martin Rooney

""If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.""

- Jim Rohn

""Black belt is not something you get, it is something you become.""

- Warrior Spirit

""Discipline is the fuel of achievement.""

- Soa Palelei

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

- Gichin Funakoshi

"Martial Arts should be a way of life, not a job, hobby, sport, but a part of you and the way you live your life."

- Frank Gutting

"If training is hard, then winning will be easy, but if training is easy, then winning will be hard."

- Norman Harris

""One becomes a beginner after 1000 days of training. One becomes a master after 10,000 days of practice.""

- Masutatsu Oyama

"The first priority to the ninja is to win without fighting."

- Masaaki Hatsumi

"As martial arts practitioners, we are not the type of people who allow life to happen to us. We are the author of our own lives."

- Jay Haynes

""One must try, everyday, to expand one's limits.""

- Masutatsu Oyama

""The only time we fail is when we stop trying.""

- Chuck Norris

""Sometimes the things we want most are the hardest to get. That means you need to be even more determined to succeed. That's what it takes to be a winner. You have to want it bad enough to stick with it no matter how tough things get.""

- Chuck Norris

""It's not so important who starts the game, but who finishes it.""

- John Wooden

"The successful warrior is the average person, with laser-like focus."

- Bruce Lee

""I've trained myself to fight an army, so one guy will not defeat me.""

- George "Rush" St. Pierre

""Going one more round when you don't think you can - that's what makes all the difference in your life.""

- Sylvester Stallone

"No one was ever named Hero for following the crowd. Heroes set their own course."

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

"Everyone feels fear. What a samurai or warrior is, is what you do when you feel fear."

- Enson Inoue

"Fall down seven times, get up eight."

- Japanese Proverb

"The purpose of the study of judo is to perfect yourself and to contribute to society."

- Jigoro Kano

"Judo is the way to the most effective use of both physical and spiritual strength."

- Jigoro Kano

"Bowing is an expression of gratitude & respect. You are thanking your opponent for giving you the opportunity to improve your technique."

- Jigoro Kano

"Martial arts is like a mirror, in which you look at yourself before you wash your face in the morning. You see yourself, simply, the way that you are."

- Jiddu Krishnamurti

""Karate may be referred to as the conflict within yourself, or a life-long marathon which can be won only through self-discipline, hard training, and your own creative efforts.""

- Shoshin Nagamine

""A lot of people give up just before they're about to make it. You know you never know when that next obstacle is going to be the last one.""

- Chuck Norris

""You can only fight the way you practice.""

- Miyamoto Musashi

""There is no secret to getting good at Jiu Jitsu. All you need to do show up and train.""

- Carlos Vieira

""The way is in training.""

- Miyamoto Musashi

""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, The Book of Five Rings

""Life is growth. If we stop growing, both technically and spiritually, we might as well be dead.""

- Morihei Ueshiba

""The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body and polish the spirit.""

- Morihei Ueshiba (Aikido)

""Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up go home. Understand?""

- Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid

"Being a black belt is a state of mind and attitude."

- Rick English

"If I go as hard as I can in practice, make sure it's a lot harder than than a fight, then the fight's going to be easy."

- Rashad Evans

""There are no shortcuts because there is no end""

- Kyuzo Mifune

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."

- Henry Ford

""If I am committed, there is always a way.""

- Tony Robbins

""Know yourself and you will win all battles.""

- Sun Tzu

""Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.""

- Successories

""To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest skill.""

- Sun Tzu

""Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.""

- Sun Tzu

"You don't have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great."

- Zig Ziglar

""Do not place hope in finding a secret technique. Polish the mind through ceaseless training; that is the key to effective techniques.""

- Kyuzo Mifune

"The main thing Karate offers to me is a philosophy of life. The philosophy of Karate is respect and discipline. You give 100% of whatever you do, in every activity."

- Lyoto Machida

"Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting. It's about being so prepared to face a challenge and believing so strongly in the cause you are fighting for that you refuse to quit."

- Richard Machowicz

""The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.""

- Sun Tzu

""He who conquers others is strong. He who conquers himself is mighty.""

- Lao Tzu

"The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat."

- Navy SEALs creed

""It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.""

- Mark Twain

"You carry on no matter what the obstacles. You simply refuse to give up ... and, when the going gets tough, you get tougher. And you win."

- Vince Lombardi

"Never take your eyes off your opponent…even when you’re bowing!"

- Bruce Lee

"The martial arts are based upon understanding, hard work and a total comprehension of skills."

- Bruce Lee

"Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves."

- Bruce Lee

"A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Not thinking, yet not dreaming. Ready for whatever may come."

- Bruce Lee

""A Black Belt is a white belt that never gave up.""

- Justin Taylor

"That some achieve great success, is proof that all others can achieve it as well."

- Abraham Lincoln

"Everything too fast is not good but everything too slow is also not good. You need balance. That's why I like martial arts: it always tells you how to control your body, your mind, your heart. Balance. Balance can keep the world's peace. I think that's a very good thing."

- Jet Li

""It's not about how you are when things go well, what defines you is how you are when you fail from an obstacle.""

- George "Rush" St. Pierre

"You have to know you can win. You have to think you can win. You have to feel you can win."

- Sugar Ray Leonard

""Spirit first, technique second.""

- Gichin Funakoshi

""Whatever luck I had, I made. I was never a natural athlete, but I paid my dues in sweat and concentration and took the time necessary to learn Karate and become World Champion.""

- Chuck Norris

""Karate cannot be adequately learned in a short space of time. Like a torpid bull, regardless of how slowly it moves, it will eventually cover a thousand miles. So too, for one who resolves to study Karate diligently two or three hours every day. After three or four years of unremitting effort one’s body will undergo a great transformation revealing the very essence of Karate.""

- Anko Itosu

"Heart and mind overcome all."

- Dan Henderson

"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

"Do not let circumstances control you. You change your circumstances."

- Jackie Chan

"If you can accept losing, you can't win."

- Vince Lombardi

"You should make it a habit of putting your all into every little thing you do."

- Koichi Tohei

""Karate is a lifetime study.""

- Kenwa Mabuni

"The goal of martial arts is to affect the mind and spirit, not just the body."

- Gichin Funakoshi

""Karate begins and ends with courtesy.""

- Anko Itosu

"There is no finish line. When you reach one goal, find a new one."

- Chuck Norris

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

- Soke Behzad Ahmadi

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see."

- Muhammad Ali

""The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.""

- Vince Lombardi

""Believe you can and you're halfway there.""

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Martial arts is for defense. It’s not for attacking. So when people are fighting, always, always, defend."

- Jackie Chan

"We learn martial arts as helping weakness. You never fight for people to get hurt. You’re always helping people."

- Jackie Chan

""It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up.""

- Vince Lombardi

"Kung fu lives in everything we do. It lives in how we put on a jacket and how we take off a jacket. It lives in how we treat people. Everything is kung fu."

- Jackie Chan

"The opposite of courage is conformity."

- Rickson Gracie

"The moment we stop analyzing and let go, we can start really seeing, feeling – as one whole."

- Bruce Lee

"Martial arts is not about fighting; it's about building character."

- Bo Bennett

"The way of the sword and the Way of Zen are identical, for they have the same purpose; that of killing the ego."

- Yamada Jirokichi

"Living the dream is simply a form of living out your passion, of making that passion gradually, through persistence and effort, a central part of your life."

- Urijah Faber

"Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power."

- William James

"Success is taking what you know, and creating the best you that you can be."

- Tim Fargo

"Be clear about your goal but be flexible about the process of achieving it."

- Tim Fargo

"You do brutal workouts to get used to suffering so suffering doesn't become a defining deal."

- Greg Jackson

"Self defense without common sense is like the earth without the sun!"

- Larry Hilton

"The easy way is also the right way, and martial arts is nothing at all special; the closer to the true way of martial arts, the less wastage of expression there is."

- Bruce Lee

"Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it."

- Bruce Lee

"The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest."

- Bruce Lee

"If you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is ever going to help you."

- Bruce Lee

"Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them."

- Bruce Lee

"Fear comes from uncertainty; we can eliminate the fear within us when we know ourselves better."

- Bruce Lee

"If we overcome those enemies that attack us from within, we can attain a true victory over any attack from without."

- Morihei Ueshiba

"Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret."

- Jim Rohn

"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

"A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer."

- Bruce Lee

"Put Karate into your everyday living, that is how you will see true beauty."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"Practicing a kata exactly is one thing, engaging in a real fight is another."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"Always be ready to release your mind."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"Nobody can hurt me without my permission."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Think only about the best, work only for the best, and always expect the best."

- Carlos Gracie Snr

"Learning jiu-jitsu is something for the subconscious, not for the consciousness."

- Helio Gracie

"When you do Jiu Jitsu, you won't look at a bigger guy and say 'oh no', you'll look and say 'how interesting!'"

- Rener Gracie

"Fighting is the best thing a man can have in his soul."

- Renzo Gracie

"In life, nothing happens to you. It happens for you."

- Rorion Gracie

"The true mark of maturity is when someone hurts you and you try and understand their situation instead of hurting them back."

- Ryron Gracie

"If you’re going through hell, keep going!"

- Winston Churchill

"If you think only of hitting, springing, striking, or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him."

- Miyamoto Musashi

"Of old the expert in battle would first make himself invincible and then wait for his enemy to expose his vulnerability."

- Sun Tzu

"The best fighter is never angry."

- Lao Tzu

"The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried."

- Stephen McCranie

"Martial arts is not about picking your fights and picking how things go; it’s about adapting to how things are."

- Gunnar Nelson

"The fighter who give their all will be around next year. Don’t save anything. Give it all you got."

- George Foreman

"You need balance. That’s why I like martial arts: it always tells you how to control your body, your mind, your heart."

- Jet Li

"Do not fight with the strength, absorb it and it flows, use it."

- Ip Man

"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough."

- Og Mandino

"When I go to bed at night, I’m a better martial artist than when I woke up this morning."

- Georges St-Pierre

"A good instructor teaches students how to fight, a great instructor teaches students how to survive."

- Ricardo Almeida

"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

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

- Gichin Funakoshi

"Karate is not about techniques and their execution, but about boldness, integrity and fight for justice and the common good."

- Soke Behzad Ahmadi

"Karate training soon teaches that real strength is facing oneself strictly with severe eyes. This is the first condition of martial arts training."

- Tsutomu Ohshima

"Since karate is a martial art, you must practice with the utmost seriousness from the very beginning."

- Gichin Funakoshi

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

- Mas Oyama

"The very essence of martial arts is the thirst for knowledge and the truth about ourselves."

- Frank Shamrock

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy are the noise before defeat."

- Sun Tzu

"What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better."

- Wendell Phillips

"A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough."

- Bruce Lee

"One of the greatest gifts of the martial arts is that they ultimately guide us to new levels of spirituality."

- Joseph Cardillo

"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

"The heart of our karate is real fighting. There can be no proof without real fighting."

- Mas Oyama

""The man who knows how will always be the student, but the man who knows why will continue to be the instructor.""

- Ed Parker

""The true Martial Artist is not the one who fears change, but the one who causes it to happen.""

- Ed Parker

""Fighting is pure chaos, and to be a good fighter you simply have to be prepared physically and mentally to handle that chaos.""

- BJ Penn

""If you think, you are late. If you are late, you use strength. If you use strength, you tire. If you tire, you die"."

- Saulo Ribeiro

""When you react, you don't give your mind the time to get filled with emotions. You are devoid of anger, fear, and frustration; you are simply moving.""

- Saulo Ribeiro

"Think of your opponents hands and feet as swords."

- Gichin Funakoshi

""Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.""

- Pat Riley

"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

"For me, martial arts is a search for something inside. It’s not just a physical discipline."

- Brandon Lee

"A student’s mentality in learning martial arts is to overcome one’s problems."

- Ip Chun

"The teaching of one virtuous person can influence many; that which has been learned well by one generation can be passed on to a hundred."

- Kano Jigoro

"Everybody’s beatable. Mixed martial arts, there are many ways to win, and that also means there are many ways to lose, as well."

- Bas Rutten

"Martial art is a form of expression, an expression from your inner self to your hands and legs."

- Donnie Yen

"The practice of a martial art should be a practice of love – for the preservation of life, for the preservation of the body, and for the preservation of family and friends."

- Dan Inosanto

"Martial arts isn't just a weapon it's also a lifeline of what you could accomplish in life if you use it right."

- Nichelle French

"Never depart from the way of martial arts."

- Miyamoto Musashi

"A punch should stay like a treasure in the sleeve. It should not be used indiscriminately."

- Chotoku Kyan

"Any martial art without proper training of the mind turns into beastly behavior."

- Shoshin Nagamine

"It is important that karate can be practiced by the young and old, men and women alike."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"The ultimate goal in Karate is to defeat opponents in a real-life-or-death situation."

- Teruyuki Higa

""Judge by my size do you? Size Matters Not.""

- Yoda, Star Wars

"Karate aims to build character, improve human behavior, and cultivate modesty; it does not, however, guarantee it."

- Yasuhiro Konishi

"To all those whose progress remains hampered by ego-related distractions, let humility – the spiritual cornerstone upon which Karate rests – serve to remind one to place virtue before vice, values before vanity and principles before personalities."

- Sokon ‘Bushi’ Matsumura

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

- Gichin Funakoshi

"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

"In the old days we trained Karate as a martial art, but now they train Karate as a gymnastic sport. I think we must avoid treating Karate as a sport – it must be a martial art at all times! Your fingers and the tips of your toes must be like arrows, your arms must be like iron. You have to think that if you kick, you try to kick the enemy dead. If you punch, you must thrust to kill. If you strike, then you strike to kill the enemy. This is the spirit you need in order to progress in your training."

- Choshin Chibana

"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."

- Gichin Funakoshi

""Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.""

- Mahatma Gandhi

""The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.""

- Lao Tzu

""The mind is everything. What you think, you become.""

- Buddha

""Martial arts are a vehicle for developing your human potential.""

- Joe Rogan

""I practice the martial arts. I don't practice MMA. MMA is my job, MMA is a new sport. Martial arts is the knowledge from the ages.""

- Anderson Silva

""Build confidence and momentum with each good decision.""

- Joe Rogan

"When I started training martial arts, I learned about respect."

- Anderson Silva

"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

"Imagine if every child learned the respect, courtesy, and discipline that martial arts teachers. The world would be a different place."

- Chris Whamond

"I want to build up my philosophy…my philosophy with kung fu is to respect people."

- Jackie Chan

"Karate is not about techniques and their execution, but about perfecting one's character."

- Funakoshi

"A true martial artist doesn't live in balance; he creates it."

- Dan Millman

"Martial arts are a vehicle for developing your human potential."

- Joe Rogan

"Train with the energy of a warrior and soon you will have the heart of a warrior."

- Shifu Yan Lei

""Your dreams are worth it. Persevere. Your focus is your power. Harness it.""

- Amy Leigh Mercree

""Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going.""

- Jillian Michaels

""A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does.""

- Dan Millman

""Never put passion before principle. Even if win, you lose.""

- Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid

""No such thing bad student. Only bad teacher.""

- Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid

""Stick to a task, 'til it sticks to you, because beginners are many, but finishers are few.""

- Thomas S. Monson

""He who is afraid of a thing gives it power over him.""

- Moorish proverb

""Hard work can't be ignored forever.""

- John Moraga

""See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body.""

- Yagyu Munenori

""There is no finish line. When you reach one goal, find a new one.""

- Chuck Norris

""A lot of times people look at the negative side of what they feel they can't do. I always look on the positive side of what I can do.""

- Chuck Norris

""Always remember that the true meaning of Budo is that soft overcomes hard, small overcomes large.""

- Masutatsu Oyama

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

- Mas Oyama

""Behind each triumph are new peaks to be conquered.""

- Masutatsu Oyama

""A human life gains lustre and strength only when it is polished and tempered.""

- Masutatsu Oyama

""Don't hit at all if you can help it; don't hit a man if you can possibly avoid it; but if you do hit him, put him to sleep.""

- Theodore Roosevelt

""A belt does nothing but hold your gi together. A belt has assigned significance, a belt is someone else saying you're good, you don't need other people saying that you're good in order to be good.""

- Ronda Rousey

""No one has the right to beat you.""

- Ronda Rousey

""I'm a courageous person because I'm a scared person.""

- Ronda Rousey

""To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.""

- Bertrand Russell

""Tomorrow's battle is won during today's practice.""

- Samurai Maxim

""Masters of the martial arts believe that a strong body and mind go together: you can't improve one without working on the other.""

- Laura Scandiffio, The Martial Arts Book

""The universe likes speed. Don't delay, don't second-guess, don't doubt.""

- Steven Seagal

""The very essence of martial arts is the thirst for knowledge and the truth about ourselves.""

- Frank Shamrock

""When it comes to self defence, it is better to have the power and not need it than to need it and not have it.""

- Kevin Shearer

""Good fighters never show their pain.""

- Professor Sawang Siripile

""When you have a dream, it's going to be a lot of "I can't" people. You need to be the driving force to say I can.""

- Ishe Smith

""If you're not willing to go too far, you'll never go far enough in life.""

- Chael Sonnen

""If I'm disrespectful to my opponent, how can I respect myself?""

- George "Rush" St. Pierre

""In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.""

- Suzuki

""When you really get technique... there is no strength that will stop you.""

- Caio Terra

""If you don't care about losing, you will focus on technique.""

- Caio Terra

""Preparing to lose is easy, but losing is hard. Preparing to win is hard, but winning is then easy.""

- Oli Thompson

""They say that a lion puts his all, even into catching a rabbit. You should make it a habit of putting your all into every little thing you do.""

- Koichi Tohei

""Everyone has a plan, 'til they get hit.""

- Mike Tyson

""The best fighter is never angry.""

- Lao Tzu

""Silence is a source of great strength.""

- Lao Tzu

""All war is based on deception.""

- Sun Tzu

""Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.""

- Sun Tzu

""All the principles of heaven and earth are living inside you. Life itself is truth, and this will never change. Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together.""

- Morihei Ueshiba (Aikido)

""Even though surrounded by several enemies set to attack, fight with the thought that they are but one.""

- Morihei Ueshiba (Aikido)

""Master the divine techniques of the Art of Peace and no enemy will dare to challenge you.""

- Morihei Ueshiba (Aikido)

""Your spirit is the true shield.""

- Morihei Ueshiba

""Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.""

- Henry van Dyke

""If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.""

- Herschel Walker

""Keep your mind clear and the technique will come.""

- Audrey Ward

""The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.""

- William Arthur Ward

""The hardest fight comes from the opponent within""

- Garry Wasson

""Don't think OF your goals, think FROM them.""

- Chris Weidman

""All Martial Artists are beginners; Some of us have just been beginning longer!""

- J.R. West

""Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it.""

- Ted Williams

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

- Jitsumi Gogen Yamaguchi

"I so admire the discipline, the work ethic, and the sacrifices fighters make to master all aspects of mixed martial arts."

- Tami Hoag

"You must have a dragon hidden inside of you. When you need, you let that dragon out."

- Anderson Silva

""Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.""

- Albert Schweitzer

"True martial arts is universal, simple, and practical. Anything else is too complex to be used in combat."

- Soke Behzad Ahmadi

"In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate."

- Isaac Asimov

"We should open Karate to the public and receive criticism, opinions and studies from other prominent fighting artists."

- Chojun Miyagi

""Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.""

- Alfred A. Montapert

"Always be able to kill your students."

- Masaaki Hatsumi

"Our teachers did not give us a clear explanation of the kata from old times. I must find the features and meaning of each form by my own study and effort, by repeating the exercises of form through training."

- Tsuyoshi Chitose

"Nothing is more harmful to the world than a martial art that is not effective in actual self-defense."

- Choki Motobu

""Martial art is a form of expression, an expression from your inner self to your hands and legs.""

- Donnie Yen

"In the past, it was expected that about three years were required to learn a single kata, and usually even an expert of considerable skill would only know three, or at most five, kata."

- Gichin Funakoshi

"Karate has no philosophy. Some people think that the tradition of Karate came from Buddhism and Karate has a connection with the absolute, space and universe, but I don’t believe in that. My philosophy is to knock my opponent out, due to the use of only one technique. One finishing blow!"

- Mikio Yahara

""Victory goes to the one who has no thought of himself.""

- Shinkage School of Swordsmanship

"Many Karate teachers teach a watered down style – no hip action and no depth of punching – so it is easy to say that these teachers have no depth to their knowledge. You are what your teacher is, and if he knows a lot, you should be able to demonstrate this knowledge."

- Yuchoku Higa

"The martial arts are non-combative because these martial artists think actual fighting doesn’t express goodness or mystic insight."

- Keith Vargo

""Jiu Jitsu is the vehicle. Not the road.""

- Chris Matakas

""Doubt is only removed by action. If you're not working then that's where doubt comes in.""

- Conor McGregor

""It isn't what you do, but how you do it.""

- Rafa Mendes

"The more understanding you have about Karate, the less you need to change or modify it."

- Tsuguo Sakumoto

"Being a ninja is about patience, tolerance, and fortitude. Literally it means the art of becoming invisible."

- Akbar Faraji

""Who overcomes by force, hath overcome but half his foe.""

- John Milton

""Some Warriors look fierce, but are mild. Some seem timid, but are vicious. Look beyond appearances; position yourself for the advantage.""

- Deng Ming-Dao

""Now use head for something other than target.""

- Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid

""Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything.""

- Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid

""Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.""

- Winston Churchill

""To believe in the heroic makes heroes.""

- Gunnar Nelson

"Even in the forty years that I have been practicing Karate, the changes have been many. It would be interesting to be able to go back in time, to the point when the kata were created, and study them."

- Shigeru Egami

""Men are like steel. When they lose their temper they lose their worth.""

- Chuck Norris

"Recently, some Karate men have used funny and strange sounding names for their own styles of Karate. A Karate man of this kind does not have a real understanding or knowledge of the orthodox Karate or he has no confidence in his ability as a Karate man. He uses these funny sounding names for his own style of Karate as an evasive answer when he has a hard time demonstrating a very difficult technique or even an incomplete one. […] Karate does not have any one style. Karate molds an individual to be the only object of defense or offense and, through this, it teaches the fundamental concept of self-protection."

- Kanken Toyama

""Relaxation is the key that unlocks speed and power.""

- Bob Orlando

"My old ways of Karate was not readily accepted by everyone. They thought it was too outdated and too crude – I think it was just too hard or maybe my training methods were too severe. Whatever it was, it was the way I learned and the way I taught. It was only later, when the Americans came to learn, that I changed my ways."

- Hohan Soken

""The true warrior is a man of compassion.""

- Bohdi Sanders

""Jiu-jitsu is like marriage. When the other person doesn't move, you better move yourself, or you might get hurt.""

- Pedro Sauer

""Imagine if every child learned the respect, courtesy and discipline martial arts teaches.""

- Chris Whamond

"When two tigers fight, one is certain to be maimed, and one to die."

- Gichin Funakoshi

""Walk in the middle, get squished like grape.""

- Mr. Miyagi, The Karate Kid

""I always think street but train sport.""

- Conor McGregor

""I got the best advice I've ever been given; 'Punch him in the face as much as you can.' Keep it simple, so that's what I did.""

- Court McGee

""My worst day in the gym is still more fun than my best day in the office!""

- Rob Mills

"It is necessary to drink alcohol and pursue other fun human activities. The art (Karate) of someone who is too serious has no flavor."

- Choki Motobu

"If you want to be a lion, you must train with lions."

"In martial arts, the journey is the reward."

"Martial arts are less about fighting others and more about fighting ourselves. The real value lies in conquering one's own limitations."

"Your body can stand almost anything. It's your mind you have to convince."

"Martial arts is not about being better than someone else, it's about being better than you used to be."

"A black belt is a white belt who never quit."

"Martial arts begin and end with respect."

"True martial artists do not fight to win, they fight to better themselves."

"In the martial arts, the biggest opponent you will ever face is yourself."

- Unknown

""The harder you work for something, the greater you'll feel when you achieve it.""

"Pain is weakness leaving the body."

"Martial arts training is about finding balance in all aspects of life."

"The true test of martial arts is how you handle defeat."

"Martial arts is not just about winning, it's about learning and growing from every experience."

"In martial arts, it's not the size of the fighter that matters, but the size of the fight in them."

"Martial arts is not just about physical strength, it's about mental and emotional strength as well."

"The true measure of a martial artist is not the number of victories, but the number of battles they have fought with honor."

"The true essence of martial arts lies in the ability to control one's own mind and body."

"Martial arts is a journey that never ends, as there is always room for growth and improvement."

"The only way to improve in martial arts is to consistently push yourself out of your comfort zone."

"Martial arts is a way of life, not just a sport."

"Martial arts training is about becoming the best version of yourself, both physically and mentally."

"The greatest lesson of martial arts is to respect others, as well as oneself."

"Martial arts is not just a physical practice, it's a mental and spiritual one as well."

"Martial arts is not just about fighting, it's about learning how to control your emotions and reactions."

"The greatest weapon in martial arts is not the fist or the foot, but the mind."

"Martial arts is the perfect combination of mind, body, and spirit."

"A black belt is just the beginning, not the end, of martial arts training."

"A true martial artist never fights for personal gain, but to protect others."

"Success in martial arts is a journey, not a destination."

"The only way to truly understand martial arts is to consistently practice and experience it for yourself."

"A black belt is just a white belt who never quit."

""The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.""

""A black belt is a white belt who never gave up.""

"Martial arts is not just about fighting, it's about building character."

"There is no losing in martial arts. Either you win or you learn."