Gichin Funakoshi’s wisdom

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

2. “Any man will be able, after sufficient practice, to accomplish remarkable feats of strength, but he may go only so far and no farther. There is a limit to a human physical strength that no one can exceed.”
3. “Karate is like boiling water: without heat, it returns to its tepid state”

4. “You must ignore the bad and adopt the good.”

5. “Think of everyday life as karate training.”

6. “Once a kata has been learned, it must be practiced repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency, for knowledge of just the sequence of a kata in karate is useless.”

7. “Spirit first, technique second.”

8. “Remember that you must always have a deep regard for courtesy, and you must be respectful and obedient toward your seniors.”

9. “There is no first strike in Karate.”

10. “One of the most striking features of karate is that it may be engaged in by anybody, young or old, strong or weak, male or female.”