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50 First Class Miyamoto Musashi Quotes

Miyamoto Musashi was an expert Japanese swordsman and ronin. Having lived through the late 16th century to early 17th century, Musashi had an undefeated records of 60 duels. In his latter years, he authored the, ‘The Book of Five Rings.’ This covered many strategies, tactics, and philosophies that are still studied to today. Here is a look at some of his more powerful Miyamoto Musashi quotes and philosophies.

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

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

“Anger. Control your anger. If you hold anger toward others, they have control over you.Your opponent can dominate and defeat you if you allow him to get you irritated.”

“Determine that today you will overcome your self of the day before, tomorrow you will win over those of lesser skill, and later you will win over those of greater skill.”

“Do not regret what you have done.”

“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.”

“Do not waste time idling or thinking after you have set your goals.”

“Do nothing which is of no use.”

“Examine your environment.”

“Fixation is the way to death. Fluidity is the way to life.”

“Fixed formation is bad. Study this well.”

“from one thing, know ten thousand things.”

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

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

“If you do not control the enemy, the enemy will control you.”

“If you wish to control others you must first control yourself.”

“In battle, if you you make your opponent flinch, you have already won.”

“In fighting and in everyday life you should be determined through 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.”

“In time, all things work to your advantage when you pursue them with an open heart.”

“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.”

“It is difficult to understand the universe if you only study one planet.”

“It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.”

“Know your enemy, know his sword.”

“No man is invincible, and therefore no man can fully understand that which would make him invincible.”

“Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.”

“Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy.”

“Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.”

“Step by step walk the thousand-mile road.”

“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.”

“The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy’s useful actions but allow his useless actions.”

“The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win.”

“The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy’s cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him.”

“The purpose of today’s training is to defeat yesterday’s understanding.”

“The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.”

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

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

“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”

“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.”

“To become the enemy, see yourself as the enemy of the enemy.”

“To know ten thousand things, know one well.”

“To win any battle, you must fight as if you are already dead.”

“Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.”

“Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is, and you must bend to its power or live a lie.”

“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.”

“When you decide to attack, keep calm and dash in quickly, forestalling the enemy…attack with a feeling of constantly crushing the enemy, from first to last.”

“You can only fight the way you practice.”

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

“You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain.”

“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.”

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

The following video is based on the biography of Miyamoto Musashi titled, ‘A Life in Arms.’ Musashi is known for his unheralded heroism and unprecedented swordsmanship in the art of fighting with two swords. Here is a unique look into the life of Musashi and the destruction delivered to many of his opponents during his lifetime.

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