Morihei Ueshiba was one of Japan's most celebrated martial artists. He is famous for setting up the Japanese Martial Art form 'Aikido'. He is also known for writing his book 'The Art Of Peace', from which some of the following quotes are extracted.
Being interested in martial arts from a very young age, Morihei Ueshiba entered the world of martial arts when he came across Takeda Sokaku. Soon, he became a trainer at the University of Kenkoku. He founded the universe of 'Aikido', his personal martial art form. He is known to have won the 'Japanese Medal Of Honor.'
These Morihei Ueshiba quotes will let you take a peek into the life of this legend!
Morihei Ueshiba Quotes On Life
(Morihei Ueshiba Quotes dig into the 'Art Of Peace' and how to attain it).
Considered a legend in the martial arts universe, these Morihei Ueshiba quotes can enable you never to stop growing and always keep an open mind.
"True victory does not come from defeating an enemy, true victory comes from giving love and changing an enemies heart."
"Each day of human life contains joy and anger, pain and pleasure, darkness and light, growth and decay."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"When life is victorious, there is birth; when it is thwarted, there is death. A warrior is always engaged in a life-and-death struggle for peace."
"Techniques employ four qualities that reflect the nature of our world. Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Always keep your mind as bright and clear as the vast sky, the great ocean, and the highest peak, empty of all thoughts. Always keep your body filled with light and heat. Fill yourself with the power of wisdom and enlightenment."
"Be grateful even for hardship, setbacks, and bad people. Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of training in the Art of Peace."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"When you bow deeply to the universe, it bows back; when you call out the name of God, it echoes inside you."
"Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train."
"One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Now and again, it is necessary to seclude yourself among deep mountains and hidden valleys to restore your link to the source of life."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"In a real battle, atemi is seventy percent, technique is thirty percent."
- 'Total Aikido'.
"Your voice is a very powerful weapon. When you are in tune with the cosmic breath of heaven and earth, your voice produces true sounds. Unify body, mind, and speech, and real techniques will emerge."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow."
- 'Inspire! What Great Leaders Do'.
"Never fear another challenger, no matter how large; Never despise another challenger, no matter how small."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Do not fail/ to learn from/ The pure voice of an/ Ever-flowing mountain stream/ Splashing over the rocks."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"DAILY TRAINING in the Art of Peace allows your inner divinity to shine brighter and brighter. Do not concern yourself with the right and wrong of others."
"THE TECHNIQUES OF the Art of Peace are neither fast nor slow, nor are they inside or outside.. They transcend time and space."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Those who have a warped mind, a mind of discord, have been defeated from the beginning."
"THE ART OF PEACE is the religion that is not a religion; it perfects and completes all religions."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"There is evil and disorder in the world, because people have forgotten that all things emanate from one source. Return to that source and leave behind all self-centered thoughts, petty desires, and anger."
"Ultimately, you must forget about technique. The further you progress, the fewer teachings there are. The great path is really no path."
Morihei Ueshiba Quotes On Love
These Morihei Ueshiba Quotes say that warriors do not create chaos. Instead, they fight to maintain and achieve peace in life.
"To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing a human being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent such slaughter – it is the Art of Peace, the power of love."
- 'Adjusting Through Reflex: Romancing Zen'.
"There are many paths leading to the top of Mount Fuji, but there is only one summit — love."
- 'You Can Save the Earth: 7 Reasons Why and 7 Simple Ways, a Philosophy for the Future'.
"Economy is the basis of society. When the economy is stable, society develops. The ideal economy combines the spiritual and the material, and the best commodities to trade in are sincerity and love."
"Create each day anew by clothing yourself with heaven and earth, bathing yourself with wisdom and love, and placing yourself in the heart of Mother Nature."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"True budo is a work of love. It is a work of giving life to all beings, and not killing or struggling with each other. Love is the guardian deity of everything. Nothing can exist without it. Aikido is the realization of love."
"All life is a manifestation of the spirit, the manifestation of love."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Mankind's role is to fulfill his heaven-sent purpose through a sincere heart that is in harmony with all creation and loves all things."
"YOUR HEART IS FULL of fertile seeds, waiting to sprout. Just as a lotus flower springs from the mire to bloom splendidly, the interaction of the cosmic breath causes the flower of the spirit to bloom and bear fruit in this world."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
Morihei Ueshiba Quotes On Friendship
The following Morihei Ueshiba Quotes let you gain an insight into the virtues of life.
"As soon as you concern yourself with the "good" and "bad" of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weakens and defeats you."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Aikido is not an art to fight with enemies and defeat them. It is a way to lead all human beings to live in harmony with each other as though everyone were one family."
"When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him; if he wants to pull back, send him on his way."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"The Art of Peace is based on four Great Virtues: Bravery, Wisdom, Love, and Friendship, symbolized by Fire, Heaven, Earth, and Water."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"FACE A SINGLE FOE as if you are facing ten thousand enemies; face ten thousand enemies as a single foe."
Interesting Morihei Ueshiba Quotes
Ueshiba believed in the supremacy of peace. The following Morihei Ueshiba Quotes help you gain some interesting perspective on how martial arts give a way to change the world!
"The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mistake."
- 'Adjusting Through Reflex: Romancing Zen'.
"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love."
"There are no contests in the Art of Peace. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"The divine is not something high above us. It is in heaven, it is in earth, it is inside us."
"The real Art of Peace is not to sacrifice a single one of your warriors to defeat an enemy. Vanquish your foes by always keeping yourself in a safe and unassailable position; then no one will suffer any losses."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"May you be happy, may you be well may you be peaceful and at ease may you be filled with loving kindness And compassion for all beings."
"You are here to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter."
- 'Inspire! What Great Leaders Do'.
"PRACTICE OF THE Art of Peace enables you to rise above praise or blame, and it frees you from attachment to this and that."
"To practice properly the Art of Peace, you must: Calm the spirit and return to the source."
"Those who are enlightened never stop forging themselves."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"The Samurai is the first to suffer anxiety for human society, and he is the last to seek personal pleasure."
"The Art of Peace is medicine for a sick world."
"Around 2 am as I was performing misogi, I suddenly forgot all the martial techniques I had ever learned. The techniques of my teachers appeared completely new. Now they were vehicles for the cultivation of life, knowledge, and virtue, not devices to throw people with."
"THE BODY SHOULD be triangular, the mind circular. The triangle represents the generation of energy and is the most stable physical posture. The circle symbolizes serenity and perfection, the source of unlimited techniques. The square stands for solidity, the basis of applied control."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"Move like a beam of light: fly like lightning, strike like thunder, whirl in circles around a stable center."
"Shihonage is the foundation of Aikido. All you ever need to master is shihonage."
- 'Aikido Shugyo'.
"The real purpose of the martial arts must be to purge oneself of petty ambitions and desire, to obtain control of one's own character."
"Cast off limiting thoughts and return to true emptiness. Stand in the midst of the great void. This is the secret of the Way of a Warrior."
- 'The Art Of Peace'.
"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit."
"I felt the universe suddenly quake, and that a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into a golden one. At the same time my body became light."
- 'Aikido'.
"Those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. thus the wise win before the fight, while the ignorant fight to win."
"A warrior's mission is to foster the success of others."
"The Way of a Warrior, the Art of Politics, is to stop trouble before it starts. It consists in defeating your adversaries spiritually by making them realize the folly of their actions. The Way of a Warrior is to establish harmony."
"Your mind should be in harmony with the functioning of the universe."
