Top 160 Miyamoto Musashi Quotes (2024 Update)
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101. “Too much is the same as not enough.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

102. “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.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

103. “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.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

104. “Never depart from the way of martial arts.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

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

— Miyamoto Musashi

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

— Miyamoto Musashi

107. “Imitation is the surest form of flattery and failure. I am not interested with your talk about my ideas. I am more interested in your applying them to your life. If you do not, then you are essentially not in accord with your own mind.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

108. “Consider yourself lightly; consider the world deeply.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

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

— Miyamoto Musashi

110. “Even if a man has no natural ability, he can be a warrior.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

111. “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.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

112. “Become acquainted with every art.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

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

— Miyamoto Musashi

114. “They speak of “This Dojo” and “That Dojo”. They are looking for profit.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

115. “I dreamt of worldly success once.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

116. “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.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

117. “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.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

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

— Miyamoto Musashi

119. “Fixation is the way to death, fluidity is the way to life. This is something that should be well understood.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

120. “Respect the gods and Buddhas, but do not depend on them.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

121. “There is even rhythm in being empty.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

122. “Aspire to be like Mt. Fuji, with such a broad and solid foundation that the strongest earthquake cannot move you, and so tall that the greatest enterprises of common men seem insignificant from your lofty perspective. With your mind as high as Mt Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things happening near to you.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

123. “Efficiency and smooth progress, prudence in all matters, recognizing true courage, recognizing different levels of morale, instilling confidence, and realizing what can and cannot be reasonably expected – such are the matters on the mind of the master carpenter. The principle of martial arts is like this.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

124. “Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

125. “Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

126. “Pragmatic thinking is essential.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

127. “In strategy it is necessary to treat training as part of normal life with your spirit unchanging.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

128. “Whenever we have become preoccupied with small details, we must suddenly change into a large spirit, interchanging large with small.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

129. “In a battle of martial arts, victory is in knowing the rhythms of your various opponents, in using a rhythm your opponent will be unable to grasp, and in developing a rhythm of emptiness rather than one of wisdom.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

130. “What is essential is to suddenly make a move totally unexpected by the opponent, pick up on the advantage of fright, and seize the victory right then and there.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

131. “It is difficult to know yourself if you do not know others.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

132. “If you do not chase in directly toward the place where your opponents have gathered, you will not make progress. And, if you start thinking about the direction from which your opponents will come, your mind will be waiting and you will have the same result. Parry your opponents’ rhythm, know where they will crumble, and you will have the victory.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

133. “Though you give up your life, do not give up your honor.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

134. “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.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

135. “It is wrong to be inflexible.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

136. “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.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

137. “You must cultivate your wisdom and spirit. Polish your wisdom: learn public justice, distinguish between good and evil, study the Ways of different arts one by one. When you cannot be deceived by men you will have realized the wisdom of strategy.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

138. “Any man who wants to master the essence of my strategy must research diligently, training morning and evening. Thus can he polish his skill, become free from self, and realise extraordinary ability. He will come to possess miraculous power.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

139. “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.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

140. “In my school, no consideration is given to anything unreasonable; the heart of the matter is to use the power of the knowledge of martial arts to gain victory any way you can.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

141. “Why would you want to appear as one thing and be another? If you are a warrior then you are a warrior and if you are not a warrior then you are not a warrior. The Way of the warrior is the Way of the warrior. To be a warrior, look like a warrior and stand like a warrior. Do not be false to yourself.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

142. “In single combat you must not fix the eyes on the details. As I said before, if you fix your eyes on details and neglect important things, your spirit will become bewildered, and victory will escape you.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

143. “Becoming the opponent means you should put yourself in an opponent’s place and think from the opponent’s point of view.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

144. “You must achieve the spirit of not allowing the enemy to attack a second time.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

145. “You should not have a favorite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well. You should not copy others, but use weapons which you can handle properly. It is bad for commanders and troops to have likes and dislikes. These are things you must learn thoroughly.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

146. “The sword has to be more than a simple weapon; it has to be an answer to life’s questions.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

147. “If we look at the world we see arts for sale. Men use equipment to sell their own selves. As if with the nut and the flower, the nut has become less than the flower. In this kind of Way of strategy, both those teaching and those learning the way are concerned with coloring and showing off their technique, trying to hasten the bloom of the flower. They speak of “This Dojo” and “That Dojo”. They are looking for profit.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

148. “There are four Ways in which men pass through life: as gentlemen, farmers, artisans and merchants.”

— Miyamoto Musashi

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

— Miyamoto Musashi

150. “The fact of the matter is that the world does not care about you or me, our hopes, our desires, or our dreams. And, the world of dreams, hopes, and desires that is constructed between our ears it is not necessarily a reflection of what is actually going on around us.”

— Miyamoto Musashi