You can only fight the way you practice.
– Miyamoto Musashi
The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them.
– Miyamoto Musashi
You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain.
– Miyamoto Musashi
In battle, if you make your opponent flinch, you have already won.
– Miyamoto Musashi
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
In fighting and in everyday life you should be determined through calm. Meet the situation
without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. An elevated spirit is
weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit.
– Miyamoto Musashi
Respect the gods, without relying on their help.
– Miyamoto Musashi
All men are the same except for their belief in their own selves, regardless of what others
may think of them.
– Miyamoto Musashi
To know ten thousand things, know one well.
– Miyamoto Musashi
Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eyes.
– Miyamoto Musashi
To master the virtue of the long sword is to govern the world and oneself, thus the long
sword is the basis of strategy. The principle is “strategy by means of the long sword”. If he
attains the virtue of the long sword, one man can beat ten men. Just as one man can beat
ten, so a hundred men can beat a thousand, and a thousand men can beat ten thousand. In
my strategy, one man is the same as ten thousand, so this strategy is the complete warrior’s
craft.
– Miyamoto Musashi
Think lightly of yourself and think deeply of the world.
– Miyamoto Musashi
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
Do nothing which is of no use.
– Miyamoto Musashi
You win battles by knowing the enemy’s timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not
expect.
– Miyamoto Musashi
It is said the warrior’s is the twofold way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for
both ways.
– Miyamoto Musashi
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.
– Miyamoto Musashi
In large-scale strategy, it is beneficial to strike at the corners of the enemy’s force; if the
corners are overthrown, the spirit of the whole body will be overthrown.
– Miyamoto Musashi
If you rely on strength, when you hit the enemy’s sword you will inevitably hit too hard. If
you do this, your own sword will be carried along as a result. Thus the saying, “The strongest
hand wins”, has no meaning. In large-scale strategy, if you have a strong army and are
relying on strength to win, but the enemy also has a strong army, the battle will be fierce.
This is the same for both sides. Without the correct principle the fight cannot be won. The
spirit of my school is to win through the wisdom of strategy…
– Miyamoto Musashi
This is the way for men who want to learn my strategy:
Do not think dishonestly.
The way is in training.
Become acquainted with every art.
Know the ways of all professions.
Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters.
Develop intuitive judgment and understanding for everything.
Perceive those things which cannot be seen.
Pay attention even to trifles.
Do nothing which is of no use.
– Miyamoto Musashi
When your opponent is hurrying recklessly, you must act contrarily and keep calm. You must
not be influenced by the opponent. Train diligently to attain this spirit.
– Miyamoto Musashi
You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
– Miyamoto Musashi
Fixedness means a dead hand. Pliability is a living hand. You must bear this in mind.
– Miyamoto Musashi
When your spirit is not in the least clouded, when the clouds of bewilderment clear away,
there is the true void.
– Miyamoto Musashi
In my doctrine, I dislike preconceived, narrow spirit. You must study this well.
– Miyamoto Musashi
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
If you wish to control others you must first control yourself.
– Miyamoto Musashi
Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy.
– Miyamoto Musashi
When you have come to grips and are striving together with the enemy, and you realize that
you cannot advance, you “soak in” and become one with the enemy. You can win by applying
a suitable technique while you are mutually entangled… You can win often decisively with the
advantage of knowing how to “soak” into the enemy, whereas, were you to draw apart, you
would lose the chance to win.
– Miyamoto Musashi
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
The way of strategy is the way of nature. 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
The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy’s useful actions but allow his
useless actions.
– Miyamoto Musashi
Get beyond love and grief: Exist for the good of Man.
– Miyamoto Musashi
Step by step walk the thousand-mile road.
– Miyamoto Musashi