Morihei Ueshiba Quotes

Every time that we've ever fought, we fought to keep from bein' destroyed. We've never started a war.

When the war closed, I buried the hatchet, and I won't fight now unless I'm put upon.

Fighting's not me - it's just something that I do.

We advised them to do what they think proper against the war.

I don't really try to tell people whether they should fight. It's definitely not for everybody.

I only direct in self-defense.

Yes, I am physical but never go looking for fights. I have been in my share of them but never looked for them.

You had to know how to fight or you had to know how to avoid a fight. I didn't enjoy fighting, so I learned how to avoid them.

Everybody certainly has the right to defend themselves. That's not to say that they should defy common sense by avoiding or diffusing confrontation. And that's very, very important.

Our first responsibility in the midst of violence is to prevent it from destroying us.

We cannot get stuck in a cycle of violence which cannot be broken.

Fighting is not my life.

I don't come and fight for fun. I don't do that. I don't like to hurt people for fun.

I'm not a violent person, but I'm a capable person. I'm never looking for a fight. But I'm always ready for one.

Fighting lives and dies; you can't fight forever.

Mediation is one of the most effective tools of non-violence. It can turn parties away from conflict, towards compromise.

The first am fight I had, I was 10 yrs. old. I didn't count, but as far as I remember, it was approximately 350 fights. It was a lot of fights.

I learned to listen as a good guy, how to fight back without throwing away the heat, and how to fight back while I was still hurting. That part would always keep you in the game and keep you in the match.

There's no reason for me to come and fight for fun. I don't do that. That's not what I do.

I learned how to defend myself at the OSB, not physically but with words.

I'm no table flipper. I am more calm and collected in my fights.

It is far easier and more effective - and not just in terms of cost - to prevent conventional conflicts than to intervene after an eruption of violence.

The strength to kill is not essential for self-defense; one ought to have the strength to die. When a man is fully ready to die, he will not even desire to offer violence. Indeed, I may put it down as a self-evident proposition that the desire to kill is in inverse proportion to the desire to die. And history is replete with instances of men who by dying with courage and compassion on their lips converted the hearts of their violent opponents.

You didn't have to take a punch for me, you know,' he said. 'I'm a lover, not a fighter.' 'You're a freak is what you are,' I said.

Arms are instruments of ill omen, not the instruments of the gentleman. When one is compelled to use them, it is best to do so without relish.