Miyamoto Musashi Quotes

The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread. You must practice constantly.

"To become the enemy" means to think yourself into the enemy's position. In the world people tend to think of a robber trapped in a house as a fortified enemy. However, if we think of "becoming the enemy", we feel that the whole world is against us and that there is no escape. He who is shut inside is a pheasant. He who enters to arrest is a hawk. You must appreciate this.

Do not sleep under a roof. Carry no money or food. Go alone to places frightening to the common brand of men. Become a criminal of purpose. Be put in jail, and extricate yourself by your own wisdom

Become acquainted with every art.

In large-scale strategy you can frighten the enemy not by what you present to their eyes, but by shouting, making a small force seem large, or by threatening them from the flank without warning. These things all frighten. You can win by making best use of the enemy's frightened rhythm.

Really skilful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy. From this example, the principle can be seen.

Fright often occurs, caused by the unexpected.

The principle of my school is quite different. In the other schools, techniques are displayed like merchandise adorned with colors and flowers, so they can be turned into a way of making a living, which is not the true way.

Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast.

Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.

When you have mastered the Way of strategy you can suddenly make your body like a rock, and ten thousand things cannot touch you. This is the body of a rock. You will not be moved.

All man are the same except for their belief in their own selves, regardless of what others may think of them

Under the sword lifted high, There is hell making you tremble. But go ahead, And you have the land of bliss.

These things cannot be explained in detail. From one thing, know ten thousand things. When you attain the Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. You must study hard.

One-thousand days of training to forge, ten-thousand days of training to refine. But a [Kendo] bout is decided in a split second.