--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To search for the old is to understand…" description: "\"To search for the old is to understand the new.\" — Gichin Funakoshi" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/gichin-funakoshi-11922_learning_to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-t_2226089.png" --- # To search for the old is to understand the new. ![“To search for the old is to understand the new.” quote by Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/gichin-funakoshi-11922_learning_to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-t_2226089.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/gichin-funakoshi-11922_learning_to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-t_2226089.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/gichin-funakoshi-11922_learning_to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-t_2226089.png) > “To search for the old is to understand the new.” [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying past traditions helps us grasp modern ideas. **In simple terms:** Learn from history to understand today. Key Takeaway Study history. Themes tradition learning innovation Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - martial arts training - education - cultural studies - technology development - personal growth Key Concepts historical context knowledge transfer Questions to Reflect On - Which old practices still serve modern needs? - How can we adapt tradition without losing its essence? A Different Perspective Relying solely on tradition can hinder new perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ## Related quotes > [“Let us search the old highways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-search-the-old-highways/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/if-one-cannot-state-a-matter-clearly-enough-so-that-even-an/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“We only know a tiny proportion about the complexity of the natural world. Wherever you look, there are still things we don’t know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/we-only-know-a-tiny-proportion-about-the-complexity-of-the-natural/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [It is dangerous to understand new things too quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-warren/it-is-dangerous-to-understand-new-things-too-quickly/) [Josiah Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-warren/) > [“We wish the old things because we cannot understand the new, and we are always seeking after that gorgeousness which belongs to things already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/we-wish-the-old-things-because-we-cannot-understand-the-new-and-we/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [To understand a new idea, break an old habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-toomer/to-understand-a-new-idea-break-an-old-habit/) [Jean Toomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-toomer/) > [You have to immerse yourself into a product and use it in order to really understand it and that's why I have a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cooper/you-have-to-immerse-yourself-into-a-product-and-use-it-in-order-to/) [Martin Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cooper/) > [Damn it, nobody knows what is beautiful and what is not. They do not understand new things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-rodchenko/damn-it-nobody-knows-what-is-beautiful-and-what-is-not-they-do-not/) [Alexander Rodchenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-rodchenko/) > [“Ideas are good things to have even if they are old. Even to understand the most advanced theorics requires a lifetime of study. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/ideas-are-good-things-to-have-even-if-they-are-old-even-to-understand/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Another little portion of the human heritage has been quietly taken from them before they were old enough to understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/another-little-portion-of-the-human-heritage-has-been-quietly-taken/) [C.S. 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When I say that, I do not mean that you should be reasonably diligent or moderately in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/you-must-be-deadly-serious-in-training-when-i-say-that-i-do-not-mean/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [Success, cannot be attained alone. Any person's time and power is limited. A wise leader enlists others in working toward organizational goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/success-cannot-be-attained-alone-any-person-s-time-and-power-is/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [Spirit first, technique second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/spirit-first-technique-second/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [You must ignore the bad and adopt the good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/you-must-ignore-the-bad-and-adopt-the-good/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [Remember that you must always have a deep regard for courtesy, and you must be respectful and obedient toward your seniors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/remember-that-you-must-always-have-a-deep-regard-for-courtesy-and-you/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/once-a-kata-has-been-learned-it-must-be-practised-repeatedly-until-it/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [The secret principle of martial arts is not vanquishing the attacker, but resolving to avoid an encounter before its occurrence. To become an object…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/the-secret-principle-of-martial-arts-is-not-vanquishing-the-attacker/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/true-karate-is-this-that-in-daily-life-one-s-mind-and-body-be-trained/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) > [Any man will be able, after sufficient practice, to accomplish remarkable feats of strength, but he may go only so far and no farther.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/any-man-will-be-able-after-sufficient-practice-to-accomplish/) [Gichin Funakoshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) [Explore all 57 Gichin Funakoshi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/) ## More Learning quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Learning from the best, you will eventually become the best if you have the talent already, if you have that potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/learning-from-the-best-you-will-eventually-become-the-best-if-you/) [Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/) > [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look it right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/once-in-awhile-you-get-shown-the-light-in-the-strangest-of-places-if/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [Would she understand that time had stopped while she was gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/would-she-understand-that-time-had-stopped-while-she-was-gone/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [“Damen's understanding of Laurent rearranged itself, in order that he might despise him more accurately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/damen-s-understanding-of-laurent-rearranged-itself-in-order-that-he/) [S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/) [Browse all 22,300 Learning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To search for the old is to understand the new.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gichin Funakoshi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-the-new/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Learning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-the-new/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/gichin-funakoshi-11922_learning_to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-t_2226089.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/gichin-funakoshi-11922_learning_to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-t_2226089.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac2/gichin-funakoshi-11922_learning_to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-t_2226089.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To search for the old is to understand the new.” — Gichin Funakoshi", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gichin Funakoshi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gichin-funakoshi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To search for the old is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-the-new/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gichin-funakoshi/to-search-for-the-old-is-to-understand-the-new/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```