Gichin Funakoshi Born : November 10, 1868 Died : April 26, 1957 Browse All Authors Top 55 quotes by 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 perfection character lying What you have been taught by listening to others' words you will forget very quickly; what you have learned with your whole body you will remember for the rest of your life. Gichin Funakoshi listening-to-others rest-of-your-life body Only through training will a person learn his own weaknesses... He who is aware of his weaknesses will remain master of himself in any situation. Gichin Funakoshi motivational sports art Seek perfection of character. Be faithful. Endeavor. Respect others. Refrain from violent behaviour. Gichin Funakoshi faithful perfection character True karate is this: that in daily life one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility, and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice. Gichin Funakoshi humility mind justice In battle, do not think that you have to win. Think rather that you do not have to lose. Gichin Funakoshi battle winning thinking One whose spirit and mental strength have been strengthened by sparring with a never-say-die attitude should find no challenge too great to handle. One who has undergone long years of physical pain and mental agony to learn one punch, one kick, should be able to face any task, no matter how difficult, and carry it through to the end. A person like this can truly be said to have learned karate. Gichin Funakoshi pain attitude years Spirit first, technique second. Gichin Funakoshi technique art firsts When you look at life think in terms of karate. But remember that karate is not only karate -- it is life. Gichin Funakoshi remember looks thinking Once a kata has been learned, it must be practised repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency, for knowledge of just the sequence of a kata in karate is useless. Gichin Funakoshi martial-arts emergencies useless 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 important humanity art Karate-do begins with courtesy and ends with rei. Gichin Funakoshi karate courtesy ends To search for the old is to understand the new. Gichin Funakoshi You may train for a long time, but if you merely move your hands and feet and jump up and down like a puppet, learning karate is not very different from learning a dance. You will never have reached the heart of the matter; you will have failed to grasp the quintessence of karate-do. Gichin Funakoshi heart hands moving When there are no avenues of escape or one is caught even before any attempt to escape can be made, then for the first time the use of self-defense techniques should be considered. Even at times like these, do not show any intention of attacking, but first let the attacker become careless. At that time attack him concentrating one's whole strength in one blow to a vital point and in the moment of surprise, escape and seek shelter and help. Gichin Funakoshi times-like-these self blow 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 important secret art Only a true weakling is capable of true courage. Gichin Funakoshi true-courage success happiness 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 practice order art When two tigers fight, one is certain to be maimed, and one to die. Gichin Funakoshi martial-arts fighting two Success, cannot be attained alone. Any person's time and power is limited. A wise leader enlists others in working toward organizational goals. Gichin Funakoshi leadership success motivational
