Inspirational quotes by Miyamoto Musashi, the exceptional swordsman, about self improvement, independence, confidence that will help you greatly in life.
71 Quotes By Miyamoto Musashi That Will Help You Battle All Odds In Life
Miyamoto Musashi was one of the best known Japanese swordsmen and because he was self-taught in this art, he is also known as rōnin. Though there is not much information about Musashi, yet his book ‘The Book of Five Rings’ (Go Rin no Sho) tells a lot about him and his origin.
He was born at Shinmen Takezo in the Harima Province of Japan and was named Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Genshin. His father Shinmen Munisai was a samurai who was skilled in kenjutsu as well as juttejutsu and this was probably how Musashi developed an inclination towards this combatting art. Shortly after his birth his mother died and hence, he was under the parent ship of his stepmother called Toshiko, but after his father divorced this lady, he was sent to the Shoreian temple to his uncle Dorin who was a monk there. During his stay there he learnt about Zen Buddhism and also given primary education. Not much is known about his family after this point, as his book is more about fighting tactics.
As stated by him, his first achievement as a swordsman was at the age of thirteen when he defeated a samurai named Arima Kibei. From then on, there was no looking back and it was him who first realized that only getting better at handling the sword is not enough. To win a combat one must know other strategies like gauging the moves of the opponent and plan their moves in accordance. Thus, the world was introduced to the book of strategies by Miyamoto Musashi which has not lost the lustre even after centuries.
Here is a treasure of quotes by this impeccable swordsman which will tell you how to move forward in life.
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.
Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help
Miyamoto Musashi
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.
The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win
Miyamoto Musashi
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.
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.
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.
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.
Miyamoto Musashi
No man is invincible, and therefore no man can fully understand that which would make him invincible
Miyamoto Musashi
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.
Miyamoto Musashi
Under the sword lifted high, There is hell making you tremble. But go ahead, And you have the land of bliss.
Polish your wisdom: learn public justice, distinguish between good and evil, study the ways of different arts one by one.
Miyamoto Musashi
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.
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.
Nobody is strong and nobody is weak if he conceives of the body, from the head to the sole of the foot, as a unity in which a living mind circulates everywhere equally.
Miyamoto Musashi
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.
What I call the void is where nothing exists. It is about things outside man's knowledge. Of course the void does not exist. By knowing what exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void.
It is necessary to know ten thousand things by knowing one well. If you are to practice the way of strategy, nothing must escape your eyes.54 Reflect well on this.
If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him. More than anything, you must be thinking of carrying your movement through to cutting him.
You win battles with the timing in the Void born of the timing of cunning by knowing the enemies’ timing, and thus using a timing which the enemy does not expect.
Guard. It is in this sense that I recommend the guard without a guard. Whatever the situation is, you hold the sword so that you can slash your opponent.
In sum, it is not good to let the hand or the sword become fixed or frozen.87 A fixed hand is a dead hand; a hand that does not become fixed is alive. It is necessary to master this well.
Miyamoto Musashi
This is a truth: when you sacrifice your life, you must make fullest use of your weaponry. It is false not to do so, and to die with a weapon yet undrawn.
