Quotes from Morihei Ueshiba

When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him if he wants to pull back, send him on his way.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks. Also learn from holy books and wise people. Everything - even mountains, rivers, plants and trees - should be your teacher.

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.

There are no contests in the Art of Peace. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Defeat means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within.

All the principles of heaven and earth are living inside you. Life itself is truth, and this will never change. Everything in heaven and earth breathes. Breath is the thread that ties creation together.

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.

The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.

I'm not teaching you how to move your feet; I'm teaching you how to move your mind

The heart of a human being is no different from the soul of heaven and earth. In your practice always keep in your thoughts the interaction of heaven and earth, water and fire, yin and yang.

In good training, we generate light (wisdom) and heat (compassion)

Bushido is not learning how to die. Bushido is learning how to live, how to protect and foster life. Even in war, the taking of human life is to be avoided as much as possible. It is always a sin to kill. Give your opponents every chance to make peace

I am one with the universe. Who can lift that

One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.

Iron is full of impurities that weaken it; through forging, it becomes steel and is transformed into a razor-sharp sword. Human beings develop in the same fashion

Life is a divine gift. The divine is not something outside of us; it is right in our very center; it is our freedom.

I want to know everything; my curiosity is boundless

The ability to sense an attack is what the ancient masters meant by anticipation. If one's mind is steady and pure, one can instantly perceive an attack and avoid it—that, I realized, is the essence of aiki (the art of harmonization)

You cannot see or touch the divine with your gross senses. The divine is within you, not somewhere else

Throw your partner by not throwing, pin him by not pinning.

Instead of foolishly waging war, hereafter we will wage peace, the true purpose of Aikido. We will train to prevent war, to abolish nuclear weapons, to protect the environment, and to serve society

Do not try to guess how fast or slow a pitch will be. Just let the ball arrive at its own pace, and be there to greet it

At the instant A warrior Confronts a foe, All things Come into focus

Progress comes To those who Train and train

Bushido is not learning how to die; it is learning how to live