Karate Quotes and Sayings

“Karate begins and ends with courtesy.” – Gichin Funakoshi

“The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.” – Gichin Funakoshi

“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.” – Matsumura Sokon

“I used my Karate footwork to control the distance, and I use is as a penetration drill that I do, this is my speciality, the way I penetrate on people, the explosiveness and the timing. It all started with Kyokoshin and Sports Karate.” – Georges St-Pierre

“Since karate is a martial art, you must practice with the utmost seriousness from the very beginning.” – Gichin Funakoshi

“Karate is a technique that permits one to defend himself with his bare hands and fists without weapons.” – Gichin Funakoshi

“Karate-Do is a lifetime study.” – Kenwa Mabuni

“When you look at life think in terms of karate. But remember that karate is not only karate — it is life.” – Gichin Funakoshi

“Karate is a defensive art from beginning to end.” – 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

“This all the world knows but does not practice.” – Tao Te Ching

“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.” – Lao-Tzu