Miyamoto Musashi Quotations

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.

You win battles by knowing the enemy's timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not expect.

All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this.

Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.

Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death.

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.

In fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though 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.

If you do not look at things on a large scale, it will be difficult to master strategy.

Never depart from the way of martial arts.

Thirdly, the gentleman warrior, carrying the weaponry of his way. The way of the warrior is to master the virtue of his weapons. If a gentleman dislikes strategy he will not appreciate the benefit of weaponry, so must he not have a little taste for this?

In contests of strategy it is bad to be led about by the enemy. You must always be able to lead the enemy about.

They speak of "This Dojo" and "That Dojo". They are looking for profit.

Cutting down the enemy is the way of strategy, and there is no need for many refinements of it.

The Way of the warrior does not include other ways, such as Confucianism, Buddhism, certain traditions, artistic accomplishments, and dancing. But even though these are not part of the Way, if you know the Way broadly, you will see it in everything.

Fixed formation is bad. Study this well.

Second is the way of the merchant. The wine maker obtains his ingredients and puts them to use to make his living. The way of the merchant is always to live by taking profit.

As far as Im concerned, I regret nothing.

From inside fortifications, the gun has no equal among weapons. It is the supreme weapon on the field before the ranks clash, but once swords are crossed the gun becomes useless.

The warrior is different in that studying the Way of strategy is based on overcoming men

By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist.

One must make the warrior walk his everyday walk.

The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy's useful actions but allow his useless actions

The halberd is inferior to the spear on the battlefield. With the spear you can take the initiative, the halberd is defensive.

If you are not progressing along the true way, a slight twist in the mind can become a major twist. This must be pondered well.

There are many ways of understanding simple things, but generally the opposite is true for difficult ideas

It is difficult to realize the true Way just through sword-fencing. Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things.

Become acquainted with every art.

If there is a Way involving the spirit of not being defeated, to help oneself and gain honour, it is the Way of Strategy.

When the enemy starts to collapse you must pursue him without the chance of letting go. If you fail to take advantage of your enemies collapse, they may recover.

If the enemy stays spirited it is difficult to crush him.

Strategy is the craft of the warrior.

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

In the construction of houses, choice of woods is made. Straight un-knotted timber of good appearance is used for the revealed pillars, straight timber with small defects is used for the inner pillars. Timbers of the finest appearance, even if a little weak, is used for the thresholds, lintels, doors, and sliding doors, and so on. Good strong timber, though it be gnarled and knotted, can always be used discreetly in construction.

If you want to learn the craft of war, ponder over this book. The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread. You must practice constantly.

The bow is tactically strong at the commencement of battle, especially battles on a moor, as it is possible to shoot quickly among the spearmen.

Fourthly, the way of the artisan. The way of the carpenter is to become proficient in the use of his tools, first to lay his plans with true measure and then perform his work according to plan. Thus he passes through life.

When you attack the enemy, your spirit must go to the extent of pulling the stakes out of a wall and using them as spears and halberds.

Never stray from the Way.

The way is in training.

Polish your wisdom: learn public justice, distinguish between good and evil, study the ways of different arts one by one.

I dreamt of worldly success once.

Consider yourself lightly; consider the world deeply.

If the enemy thinks of the mountains, attack like the sea; and if he thinks of the sea, attack like the mountains.

If you learn indoor techniques, you will think narrowly and forget the true Way. Thus you will have difficulty in actual encounters.

When in a fight to the death, one wants to employ all one's weapons to the utmost. I must say that to die with one's sword still sheathed is most regrettable.

Immature strategy is the cause of grief.

As the innocent infant relies upon the mother for sustenance, so the innocent wanderer, following his native compassion and bliss, relies upon the natural intelligence of life to sustain him. There are various Ways. There is the Way of salvation by the law of Buddha, the Way of Confucius governing the Way of learning, the Way of healing as a doctor, as a poet teaching the Way of Waka, tea, archery, and many arts and skills. Each man practices as he feels inclined.

Respect the gods and buddhas, but never rely on them.

It is imperative to master the principles of the art of war and learn to be unmoved in mind even in the heat of the battle.

To cut and slash are two different things. Cutting, whatever form of cutting it is, is decisive, with a resolute spirit. Slashing is nothing more than touching the enemy.

Also by training you will be able to freely control your own body, conquer men with your body, and with sufficient training you will be able to beat ten men with your spirit. When you have reached this point, will it not mean that you are invincible?

If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover.

There is timing in everything. Timing in strategy cannot be mastered without a great deal of practice.

Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help

When your opponent is hurrying recklessly, you must act contrarily and keep calm. You must not be influenced by the opponent.

Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast….Of course, slowness is bad. Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy.

Pay attention even to life's trifles.

You should not have a favourite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well.

Always return your weapon along the same path it traveled out on. In this way you can use it again without having to relocate and rethink our attitude.

When you cannot be deceived by men you will have realised the wisdom of strategy.

People in this world look at things mistakenly, and think that what they do not understand must be the void. This is not the true void. It is bewilderment...

With your spirit open and unconstricted, look at things from a high point of view.

Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take a distanced view of close things.

Develop intuitive judgement and understanding for everything.

Approach the enemy with the attitude of defeating him without delay.

Do not act following customary beliefs.

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. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased.

It is said the warrior's is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways. Even if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way.

Do not let the body be dragged along by mind nor the mind be dragged along by the body

When your spirit is not in the least clouded, when the clouds of bewilderment clear away, there is the true void.

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.

As if with the nut and flower, the nut has become less than the flower... both those teaching and those learning are concerned with colouring and showing off their technique, trying to hasten the bloom of the flower.

from one thing, know ten thousand things

Do not let your opponent see your spirit

In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness.

If you know the way broadly you will see it in everything.

Do not regret what you have done

The spirit of defeating a man is the same for ten million men. The strategist makes small things into big things, like building a great Buddha from a one foot model.

Too much is the same as not enough.

When you have attained the way of strategy there will be nothing that you cannot understand. You will see the way in everything.

In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance.

See to it that you temper yourself with one thousand days of practice, and refine yourself with ten thousand days of training.

Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit. Be neither insufficiently spirited or over spirited. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit.

A man cannot understand the art he is studying if he only looks for the end result without taking the time to delve deeply into the reasoning of the study.

To become the enemy, see yourself as the enemy of the enemy

Even if you strive diligently on your chosen path day after day, if your heart is not in accord with it, then even if you think you are on a good path, from the point of view of the straight and true, this is not a genuine path. If you do not pursue a genuine path to its consummation, then a little bit of crookedness in the mind will later turn into a major warp. Reflect on this.

Know your enemy, know his sword.

If you wish to control others you must first control yourself

Step by step walk the thousand-mile road.

Unless you really understand others, you can hardly attain your own self-understanding.

A bullet from a gun does not make a distinction between practice and combat. You are training to be one and the same way in your life

Get beyond love and grief: exist for the good of Man.

Do nothing which is of no use.

The Way is in training... Do nothing which is not of value.

...most warriors only perform tricks. The way of the warrior is filled with soul and feeling

Crossing at a ford occurs often in a man's lifetime. It means setting sail even though your friends stay in harbour, knowing the route, knowing the soundness of your ship and the favour of the day.

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.

You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.

A warrior has no confusion in his mind...This is true emptiness.

The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them