The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat…

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

— Gichin Funakoshi

Seek perfection of character. Be faithful. Endeavor. Respect others. Refrain from violent behaviour.

— 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,…

— Gichin Funakoshi

Karate is a defensive art from beginning to end.

— Gichin Funakoshi

Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water.

— Bruce Lee

Water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.

— Bruce Lee

To live each day as though one's last, never flustered, never apathetic, never attitudinizing - here is the perfection of character.

— Marcus Aurelius

The purpose of Zen is the perfection of character.

— Yamada Koun

Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretence.

— Marcus Aurelius

For every one step that you take in the pursuit of higher knowledge, take three steps in the perfection of your own character

— Rudolf Steiner

True karate is this: that in daily life one's mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility, and that in…

— Gichin Funakoshi

Once a kata has been learned, it must be practised repeatedly until it can be applied in an emergency, for knowledge of just the…

— Gichin Funakoshi

In karate, hitting, thrusting, and kicking are not the only methods, throwing techniques and pressure against joints are included … all these techniques should…

— Gichin Funakoshi

The spirit of karate practice and the elements of training are applicable to each and every aspect of our daily lives.

— Gichin Funakoshi

There is no place in contemporary Karate-do for different schools. Some instructors, I know, claim to have invented new and unusual kata, and so…

— Gichin Funakoshi