Quote

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

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Gichin Funakoshi
Age: 88 †
Born: 1868
Born: November 10
Died: 1957
Died: April 26
Karateka
May
Train
Quintessence
Matter
Merely
Puppet
Different
Dance
Karate
Heart
Move
Puppets
Long
Feet
Grasp
Never
Learning
Jump
Time
Moving
Reached
Like
Hands
Failed

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Spirit first, technique second.
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In karate, hitting, thrusting, and kicking are not the only methods, throwing techniques and pressure against joints are included … all these techniques should be studied referring to basic kata
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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.
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Karate is like boiling water: without heat, it returns to it's tepid state
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Karate is like boiling water, if you do not heat it constantly, it will cool.
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Students of any art, including Karate-do must never forget the cultivation of the mind and the body.
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You must ignore the bad and adopt the good.
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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.
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Always be ready to release your mind.
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Apply the way of karate to all things. Therein lies its beauty.
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Karate begins and ends with courtesy.
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In time of grave public crisis, one must have the courage to face a million and one opponents.
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There is no first strike in Karate.
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The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.
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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.
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Karate is a technique that permits one to defend himself with his bare hands and fists without weapons.
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Karate-do begins with courtesy and ends with rei.
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When you leave your home, think that you have numerous opponents waiting for you (it is your behavior that invites trouble from them).
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The correct understanding of Karate and its proper use is Karate-do. One who truly trains in this do [way] and actually understands Karate-do is never easily drawn into a fight.
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Remember that you must always have a deep regard for courtesy, and you must be respectful and obedient toward your seniors.
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