Ed Parker Quotes

The intelligent man is one who has successfully fulfilled many accomplishments, and is yet willing to learn more.

I am not going to show you my art. I am going to share it with you. If I show it to you it becomes an exhibition, and in time it will be pushed so far into the back of your mind that it will be lost. But by sharing it with you, you will not only retain it forever, but I too will improve.

I come to you with only Karate, Empty Hands. I have no weapons, but should I be forced to defend myself, my principles or my honor, should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong, then here are my weapons, Karate, my Empty Hands.

Knowledge does not grow like a tree where you dig a hole, plant your feet, cover them with dirt, and pour water on them daily. Knowledge grows with time, work, and dedicated effort. It cannot come by any other means.

The humble man makes room for progress; the proud man believes he is already there.

The man who is secure within himself has no need to prove anything with force, so he can walk away from a fight with dignity and pride. He is the true martial artist--a man so strong inside that he has no need to demonstrate his power.

If you don't ask the right questions, I can't give you the answers, and if you don't know the right question to ask, you're not ready for the answers

The true Martial Artist is not the one who fears change, but the one who causes it to happen.

He who hesitates, meditates horizontally

One becomes great when he comes to the realization that what he knows is very little.

To hear is to doubt, to see is to be deceived, but to feel is to believe.

Whether it is a big ship or small ship, the same size hole placed correctly in the hull can sink it.

To live is to change, and to obtain perfection is to change often.

There are no pure styles of karate. Purity comes only when pure knuckles meet pure flesh, no matter who delivers or receives.

Having an open mind does not necessarily lead to perfection. It is your ability to observe, analyze, discern, and understand the true essence that basic principles contain that point the way to perfection.

It is not the aim of Kenpo to merely produce a skillful as well as powerful practitioner, but to create a well integrated student respectful of all.

Condition and guts take over where knowledge and skill end.

Humility and self-restraint is the True Objective of Kenpo

Time and space may separate us, but not the thoughts and memories that bind us.

The man who knows how will always be the student, but the man who knows why will continue to be the instructor.

Gain confidence and you banish fear.

Whatever the attitude, so is the response.

Traditionalists often study what is taught, not what there is to create.

An ounce of logic can be worth more than a ton of tradition that has become obsolete through the weathering of time.

Principles of motion take precedence over sequence of motion.