Miyamoto Musashi famous quotes

there is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Inspirational #Stronger #Get Better

In battle, if you you make your opponent flinch, you have already won.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Inspirational #Battle #Opponents

The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy's cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Spring #Mean #Cutting

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

#Art #Mean #Way

Get beyond love and grief: exist for the good of Man.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Love #Grief #Men

When you decide to attack, keep calm and dash in quickly, forestalling the enemy...attack with a feeling of constantly crushing the enemy, from first to last.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Crush #Feelings #Enemy

It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Art #May #Firsts

The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Fighting #Warrior #Winning

Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is, and you must bend to its power or live a lie.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Lying #Want #Truth Is

Consider yourself lightly; consider the world deeply.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#World

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

#Opponents #Spirit

Unless you really understand others, you can hardly attain your own self-understanding.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Self #Understanding

You can only fight the way you practice
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Inspirational #Fighting #Practice

The purpose of today's training is to defeat yesterday's understanding.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Yesterday #Understanding #Training

When in a fight to the death, one wants to employ all one's weapons to the utmost. I must say that to die with one's sword still sheathed is most regrettable.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Fighting #Weapons #Want

You win battles by knowing the enemy's timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not expect.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Winning #Mma #Knowing

There is no one way to salvation, whatever the manner in which a man may proceed. All forms and variations are governed by the eternal intelligence of the Universe that enables a man to approach perfection. It may be in the arts of music and painting or it may be in commerce, law, or medicine. It may be in the study of war or the study of peace. Each is as important as any other. Spiritual enlightenment through religious meditation such as Zen or in any other way is as viable and functional as any "Way."... A person should study as they see fit.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Spiritual #Religious #Art

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

#Art #Mma #Use

Anger. Control your anger. If you hold anger toward others, they have control over you.Your opponent can dominate and defeat you if you allow him to get you irritated.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Negativity #Over You #Opponents

The path that leads to truth is littered with the bodies of the ignorant.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Ignorant #Path #Body

This is truth: When you sacrifice your life, you must make fullest use of your weaponry. It is false not to do so, and to die with a weapon as yet undrawn.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#War #Sacrifice #Use

Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Helping #Counting

The warrior is different in that studying the Way of strategy is based on overcoming men
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Warrior #Men #Way

Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is ...
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Strong #Sight #Perception

There is timing in the whole life of the warrior, in his thriving and declining, in his harmony and discord. Similarly, there is timing in the Way of the merchant, in the rise and fall of capital. All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Life #Fall #Warrior

When you appreciate the power of nature, knowing the rhythm of any situation, you will be able to hit the enemy naturally and strike naturally.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#War #Knowing #Appreciate

Aspire to be like Mt. Fuji, with such a broad and solid foundation that the strongest earthquake cannot move you, and so tall that the greatest enterprises of common men seem insignificant from your lofty perspective. With your mind as high as Mt Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things happening near to you.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Moving #Men #Earthquakes

No Fear, No Hesitation, No Surprise, No Doubt
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Motivational #Art #Preparation

If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Way

Step by step walk the thousand-mile road.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Steps #Miles #Walks

Do nothing which is of no use.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Life #Use #Martial Arts

Fixation is the way to death. Fluidity is the way to life.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Way #Fluidity #Fixation

It is difficult to understand the universe if you only study one planet
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Inspirational #Martial Arts #Study

Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Meaningful #Warrior #Men

If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Art #Enemy #May

Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Life #War #Acceptance

A bullet from a gun does not make a distinction between practice and combat. You are training to be one and the same way in your life
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Gun #Practice #Training

You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Integrity #Bad Ass #Body

Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Thinking #World

If the enemy thinks of the mountains, attack like the sea; and if he thinks of the sea, attack like the mountains.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Thinking #Sea #Enemy

To become the enemy, see yourself as the enemy of the enemy
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Enemy

Speed is not part of the true Way of strategy. Speed implies that things seem fast or slow, according to whether or not they are in rhythm. Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Way #Doe #Speed

If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Enemy

You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Inspirational #Mountain #Path

When your opponent is hurrying recklessly, you must act contrarily and keep calm. You must not be influenced by the opponent.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Opponents #Calm #Hurrying

Do not act following customary beliefs.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Belief #Following

I dreamt of worldly success once.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Worldly

True warriors are fierce because their training is fierce.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Warrior #Training #Fierce

To win any battle, you must fight as if you are already dead
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Fighting #Winning #Battle

Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast….Of course, slowness is bad. Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#People #Way #Doe

All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Falling In Love #Rising #Able

Know your enemy, know his sword.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Enemy

It is said the warrior's is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways. Even if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Warrior #Men #Division

Polish your wisdom: learn public justice, distinguish between good and evil, study the ways of different arts one by one.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Art #War #Evil

No man is invincible, and therefore no man can fully understand that which would make him invincible. Even with complete and thorough study there is always the possibility of being defeated and although one may be expert in a particular form, mastery is something a man never stops seeking to attain.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Men #Mastery #May

Even if you strive diligently on your chosen path day after day, if your heart is not in accord with it, then even if you think you are on a good path, from the point of view of the straight and true, this is not a genuine path. If you do not pursue a genuine path to its consummation, then a little bit of crookedness in the mind will later turn into a major warp. Reflect on this.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Heart #Thinking #Views

Strategy is the craft of the warrior.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Art #Warrior #Crafts

The way is in training.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Art #Training #Way

from one thing, know ten thousand things
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Thousand

In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Everyday #Strategy #Form

Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Inspirational #Eye #Perceive

Respect the gods and buddhas, but never rely on them.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Rely

Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Way #Doe #Strategy

There is timing in everything. Timing in strategy cannot be mastered without a great deal of practice.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Practice #Timing #Strategy

You should not have any special fondness for a particular weapon, or anything else, for that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Without imitating anyone else, you should have as much weaponry as suits you.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Special #Weapons #Matter

If you wish to control others you must first control yourself
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Wish #Firsts

You should not have a favourite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#War #Knowing #Weapons

Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit. Be neither insufficiently spirited or over spirited. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#War #Enemy #Body

Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Strong #Procrastination #Views

In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Life #Spiritual #War

The spirit of defeating a man is the same for ten million men. The strategist makes small things into big things, like building a great Buddha from a one foot model.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#War #Men #Feet

If you want to learn the craft of war, ponder over this book. The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread. You must practice constantly.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Teacher #War #Book

In contests of strategy it is bad to be led about by the enemy. You must always be able to lead the enemy about.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Enemy #Able #Strategy

If there is a Way involving the spirit of not being defeated, to help oneself and gain honour, it is the Way of Strategy.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#War #Way #Gains

When you attack the enemy, your spirit must go to the extent of pulling the stakes out of a wall and using them as spears and halberds.
-- Miyamoto Musashi

#Wall #Enemy #Spirit