--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a martial artist. That's what I've…" description: "\"I'm a martial artist. That's what I've been doing since I was three years old, and fighting since i was 15 and that's all I know how to do. The money i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/stephen-thompson-5214_art_i-m-a-martial-artist-that-s-what-i-ve-be_1009884.jpg" --- # I'm a martial artist. That's what I've been doing since I… ![“I'm a martial artist. That's what I've been doing since I was three years old, and fighting since i was 15 and that's all I know how to do. The money is just a bonus. It's a bonus for me. I think my real job is teaching martial arts, it's what I love to do.” quote by Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/stephen-thompson-5214_art_i-m-a-martial-artist-that-s-what-i-ve-be_1009884.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/stephen-thompson-5214_art_i-m-a-martial-artist-that-s-what-i-ve-be_1009884.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/018/stephen-thompson-5214_art_i-m-a-martial-artist-that-s-what-i-ve-be_1009884.jpg) > “I'm a martial artist. That's what I've been doing since I was three years old, and fighting since i was 15 and that's all I know how to do. The money is just a bonus. It's a bonus for me. I think my real job is teaching martial arts, it's what I love to do.” [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A martial artist sees teaching as his true passion, with competition and money secondary to sharing his craft. **In simple terms:** He loves teaching martial arts more than fighting for money. Key Takeaway Prioritize passion over profit. Themes martial arts teaching passion Mood focused inspired Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - coaching students - building a gym - balancing competition and instruction Key Concepts career fulfillment intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - What drives you more: love of the craft or financial reward? - How can you keep passion alive amid commercial demands? A Different Perspective Financial pressures can distract from pure teaching. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Martial Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martial-art/) [Martial artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martial-artist/) [Martial arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/martial-arts/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/) ## Related quotes > [Every kid wants to reach their goals in life and be the best. During my Bruce Lee phase, I wanted to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-hosoi/every-kid-wants-to-reach-their-goals-in-life-and-be-the-best-during/) [Christian Hosoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-hosoi/) > [Each person may see a fight in different ways... They can see more to a primal way. Others they can see in a pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-gracie/each-person-may-see-a-fight-in-different-ways-they-can-see-more-to-a/) Roger Gracie > [I hope martial artists are more interested in the root of martial arts and not the different decorative branches, flowers or leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-hope-martial-artists-are-more-interested-in-the-root-of-martial-2/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I'm a martial artist, and I don't train because I have a fight; I train because it's my lifestyle, and I'll train every day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-st-pierre/i-m-a-martial-artist-and-i-don-t-train-because-i-have-a-fight-i-train/) [Georges St-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-st-pierre/) > [I had always considered myself a martial artist who fights rather than a fighter who learned martial arts - although I probably flowed between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/i-had-always-considered-myself-a-martial-artist-who-fights-rather/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [In my view, Zhang Lanxin is one of our best female martial artists, and I can't rate her highly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-chan/in-my-view-zhang-lanxin-is-one-of-our-best-female-martial-artists-and/) [Jackie Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-chan/) > [The man who is secure within himself has no need to prove anything with force, so he can walk away from a fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-parker/the-man-who-is-secure-within-himself-has-no-need-to-prove-anything/) [Ed Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-parker/) > [If mere mechanical efficiency can make everyone a martial artist, then all is well. 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It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-hope-martial-artists-are-more-interested-in-the-root-of-martial/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [I do a one-hour workout called Drenched, a cardio-boxing fitness routine, Monday through Friday. There are usually between twenty-five and fifty people there -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ann-inaba/i-do-a-one-hour-workout-called-drenched-a-cardio-boxing-fitness/) [Carrie Ann Inaba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ann-inaba/) > [I don't really have a problem with the pain of life. Perhaps that is because I am a martial artist and I am used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-don-t-really-have-a-problem-with-the-pain-of-life-perhaps-that-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Stephen Thompson > [I understand it's part of the sport, part of the game to have people who like you and people who don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/i-understand-it-s-part-of-the-sport-part-of-the-game-to-have-people/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [Everybody asks me, 'Hey, what's your most memorable fight?' For me, it's definitely the Matt Brown fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/everybody-asks-me-hey-what-s-your-most-memorable-fight-for-me-it-s/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [To be honest with you, Conor McGregor at 170, I think he's just going to be thrown around like a little rag doll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/to-be-honest-with-you-conor-mcgregor-at-170-i-think-he-s-just-going/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [I know that pretty much everybody I face is going to wind up wanting to take me down eventually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/i-know-that-pretty-much-everybody-i-face-is-going-to-wind-up-wanting/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [I rage playing video games. I think that's the only time you will ever hear me say a cuss word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/i-rage-playing-video-games-i-think-that-s-the-only-time-you-will-ever/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [I was like 'You know what? I'm training with these champions. Guys like Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt... Let me give this MMA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/i-was-like-you-know-what-i-m-training-with-these-champions-guys-like/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [I learned a lot during the Matt Brown fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/i-learned-a-lot-during-the-matt-brown-fight/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [I'm a striker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/i-m-a-striker/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [In kickboxing, if I walked around at 185 pounds, I fought at 185 pounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/in-kickboxing-if-i-walked-around-at-185-pounds-i-fought-at-185-pounds/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [When you're out there in the octagon and you've got thousands of people, millions across the world, either cheering for you to win or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/when-you-re-out-there-in-the-octagon-and-you-ve-got-thousands-of/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [You gotta be ready in this game. Like when Michael Bisping knocked out Luke Rockhold. I thought... everybody thought that Luke Rockhold would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/you-gotta-be-ready-in-this-game-like-when-michael-bisping-knocked-out/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [We kind of understand at this level of the game when you work your way up to the top there's a possibility you may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/we-kind-of-understand-at-this-level-of-the-game-when-you-work-your/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [Ben Askren, he's a tough boy. Golly, he's a tough boy. That's what wrestling does. When you wrestle your whole life, you got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/ben-askren-he-s-a-tough-boy-golly-he-s-a-tough-boy-that-s-what/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [People always ask me what will happen if I lose, and I never really thought about it until they asked me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/people-always-ask-me-what-will-happen-if-i-lose-and-i-never-really/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) > [As a fighter my goal is not to get hit and frustrate my opponent. Once I get you frustrated then I got you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-thompson/as-a-fighter-my-goal-is-not-to-get-hit-and-frustrate-my-opponent-once/) [Stephen Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) [Explore all 102 Stephen Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-thompson/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm a martial artist. 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