Top 98 Quotes & Sayings by Famous Martial Artists

It is not important to be better than someone else, but to be better than yesterday.

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

Once you learn to remain calm under the stressful circumstances of a fight, you will have no trouble remaining calm under the stressful circumstances of life.

We all have inner demons to fight, we call these demons, fear and hatred and anger. If you do not conquer them then a life of one hundred years is a tragedy. If you do, then a life of a single day can be a triumph.

Krav Maga heightens perception and transforms fear into something more productive.

You've got a nice neck for choking.

When defeated ask yourself what mistakes invited the attack. This kind of positive thinking any fighter must possess.

Discipline is remembering what you want most, not what you want now.

Be gentle, kind and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically.

A balanced education consists of knowledge in the mind, honesty in the heart, and strength in the body ... a true human being is an educator not by words alone but by being an example.

My health has benefited the most from practising Wing Chun.

Kempo is for the street first; everything else is secondary.

Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Bruce Lee are my masters; they're the inspiration for my work. Bruce Lee was a heavy fighter who threw hard punches. Jackie moves very fast and uses a lot of comedy, and Jet Li is very fluid. I've tried to combine all of their styles and added some things of my own.

Only a ninja can stop a ninja.

Do not be afraid to get close to your opponent. The closer you are, the more you will learn.

You didn't have to wash it as often and it hid the blood stains better!

A compassionate soul is inner beauty.

Where I am today, is where my mind and will put me, where I am tomorrow is where my mind will put me.

The ideal in Martial Arts is humanitarianism. Accomplishment uses diligence as a goal.

Judo should be free as art and science from any external influences, political, national, racial, and financial or any other organized interest. And all things connected with it should be directed to its ultimate object, the benefit of Humanity.

Self-defense is only an illusion, a dark cloak beneath which lurks a razor-sharp dagger waiting to be plunged into the first unwary victim. Whoever declares that any weapon manufactured today, whether it be a nuclear missile or a .38 special, is created for self-defense should look a little more closely at his own image in the mirror. Either he is a liar or is deceiving himself.

Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!

Those who rush are the same ones who lack technique.

Everything I did was practical. You have to strip things down and get to the practical stuff.

Nothing under the sun is greater than education. By educating one person and sending him into the society of his generation, we make a contribution extending a hundred generations to come.

Students from the same teacher will differ in their skills

Beat a man with what he doesn't know.

I think the kicks in Wing Chun are enough. It´s much easier to use your hands than to use your feet. Your hand is able to reach your opponent long before your foot. Why take the long way to attack (circle), when there is a much more direct method of attack? If you are using your hands, then your opponent can´t see a kick coming if you have to use it. When you teach Kung Fu, you can fool a lot of people, but not yourself. You can make like a movie and do many complicated movements and kicks, but you only fool yourself as to whether that would work in a real situation of life and death.

If you fight for a living you can't give a damn about the opponent because they're trying to take food out of your mouth and your kids' mouths. You're in competition with everybody. The trick is, just don't let them know you're competing against them.

Usually, a well thought answer makes an aggressor think twice.

I created a flag from the sport's dignity. I oversee the name of my family with affection, steady nerves and blood.

For one thing, Judo in reality is not a mere sport or game. I regard it as a principle of life, art and science. In fact, it is a means for personal cultural attainment.

Consider fully, act decisively.

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

It doesn't matter if it's in my class or around the world, anywhere, the first thing I say is "First of all guys, I want to give my Heavenly Father credit for all I do and the Lord Jesus Christ to give me the opportunity to go out and reach and save lives." To me, that's the most important thing.

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

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

Walk a single path, becoming neither cocky with victory nor broken with defeat, without forgetting caution when all is quiet or becoming frightened when danger threatens.

Face your fear, empty yourself, trust your own voice, let go of control, have faith in outcomes, connect with a larger purpose, derive meaning from the struggle.

Let your opponent show you how to defeat him

Carefully observe oneself and one's situation, carefully observe others, and carefully observe one's environment. Consider fully, act decisively.

Judo is a study of techniques with which you may kill if you wish to kill, injure if you wish to injure, subdue if you wish to subdue, and, when attacked, defend yourself

Be Strong, Gentle and Beautiful, in Mind, Body and Spirit.

That race you feel you are a part of is happening only in your mind.

Apply just the right amount of force — never too much, never too little.

When it comes to training I do that through teaching.

People think they can take a pill and become a champion. But the harder you work, the luckier you get. You have to work a move hundreds or thousands of times.

The pine fought the storm and broke. The willow yielded to the wind and snow and did not break. Practice Jiu-Jitsu in just this way.

There is no difference in who started to study first; the one who achieves accomplishment is first.

People respect power, and it comes in many forms, Krav Maga is power, and people will respect you for knowing it

For the choke, there are no 'tough guys'

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.

Before and after practicing Judo or engaging in a match, opponents bow to each other. Bowing is an expression of gratitude and respect. In effect, you are thanking your opponent for giving you the opportunity to improve your technique.

Walk a single path, become neither cocky with victory nor broken with defeat.

If you count all fights like everybody else does, including Rickson, who says he has 400 fights; if you count like that, I have a million.

Judo helps us to understand that worry is a waste of energy.

It is difficult for a student to pick a good teacher, but it is more difficult for a teacher to pick a good student.

Judo is the way to the most effective use of both physical and spiritual strength. By training you in attacks and defenses it refines your body and your soul and helps you make the spiritual essence of Judo a part of your very being. In this way you are able to perfect yourself and contribute something of value to the world. This is the final goal of Judo discipline.

In Randori we teach the pupil to act on the fundamental principles of Judo, no matter how physically inferior his opponent may seem to him, and even if by sheer strength he can easily overcome him; because if he acts contrary to principle his opponent will never be convinced of defeat, no matter what brute strength he may have used.

My philosophy has always been it's good to learn everything.