Don’t break your promise! For that is a true measure of a leader.
Don’t make promises you cannot keep. Just as well, don’t make a threat you cannot keep.
To tell you the truth I don’t like making rules. Everyone should be allowed to do what he or she wants. The problem is, people don’t know what they really want or who they really are.
Right is right, wrong is wrong. There are no half rights and half wrongs.
You only need to argue when you want to be right; when you know the truth, nothing need be said.
When things are small, there’s a lot of care and attention with humility. As things grow, delusion and arrogance is inevitable.
When there’s too much density, things break easily. When there’s too little density, then it cannot support any weight.
When you are poor in knowledge,
you must rely on your own strength to fight your battles.
When you are rich in knowledge,
you can rely on the strength of others to fight your battles for you.
When you are poor in strength,
you must rely on your own knowledge to avoid fighting any battles.
When you are rich in strength,
you will fight all the battles all the time.
When you are both poor in knowledge and strength,
you have to rely on the mercy of others.
When you are both rich in knowledge and strength,
you don’t have to fight.
Usually people who THINK they know the most, error the most.
The problem with common sense is that it’s not common.
The idea of common sense is that it should be common, not that it is.
Rank doesn’t mean you’re going to be treated better. Greater is the rank, greater the burden. Rank means they will know whom to blame when things go bad.
I’m not here to be your friend, but to test your truth. I’m here to shake, and whatever falls off, should fall off.
If you don’t know how you got hurt, you can’t prevent it. If you don’t know how you failed, then you can’t succeed. If you don’t know how to live, then early death is inevitable.
Accidents don’t happen. Stupid people doing stupid things make accidents happen.
Distraction only works when it’s convincing.
Never assume. You don’t even know what you don’t know and you think you know: that’s an assumption, that’s absurdity.
You don’t win by defending. You win by attacking. However, attacking alone will not secure victory; you must be quicker than your opponent.
The better you are, the bigger risks you can take. The bigger the risk, the greater is the reward. That maybe true with money and war, but not with life and love.
It’s the people who take the biggest risks who earn the biggest rewards. However, more fools take risks than the wise.
If you’re not able to see your own mistakes, you’ll never see them in other people.
Yet, if you’re not able to see your own faults, you’ll always complain of the faults of others.
Leaders can’t complain; leaders must be the solution. Complaints must go upward for surely going downward it will never be resolved. If you are a true leader, then there’s no one to complain up to.
Leaders are not seeking for validation. And, if you’re a leader and you seek validation, then you’re not leading.
I will probably be remembered as either the most hated or the most beloved leader of Hwa Rang Do – as I am not the first, but the second, who disrupted what was. If I succeed, it will be remembered as innovation, if I fail it will be vanity.
I’m not co‐dependent. Love me or not, I will do what I must do.
I cannot tell you not to fear me as I never said to fear me, but you should not, for only God you should fear. What I do, I do for you.
Lead with me or be led by me, but do not stand still or you will be run over.
There is no wrong way as many ways can work, but our goal is that we all agree on the same way.
If you want something done, give it to the person who is busy.
You don’t have to try to be warriors; you have to BE warriors. There is no try and if you’re trying, then you’ve already failed.
Bear with me or charge ahead, but never weigh me down.
If you choose to be Instructors, then whether you want to or not you are leaders, and the only true way to lead is by example.
Are leaders born or are they made? I do not know for certain, but one thing is clear, leaders never ask this question.
The easy way is not always the best way!
Understanding purpose is what gives meaning and without meaning, there’s no value.
If you want to discipline, then you must discipline hard so you won’t have to do it again.
It’s always a matter of balance, in everything: PUSH and PULL!
When you push at a string, it gets all tangled; but when you pull, it follows straight.
The Student: “Sun Tzu said – do not engage in a war that you’re not sure to win.”
Kuksanim: “Yes, in a military for a general that is ok, but what is noble in winning a war that you’re sure to win? That’s the difference between being practical or noble, to fight without or with faith in God.”
I don’t need to be liked by you; if you give up it’s ok to me. But, if you remain you’ll be better than before.
Rank is like a big pair of shoes, you must always work to fit into.
If you are leading and you’re not charismatic, then you are NOT leading. No one will follow you.
Power comes from speed and accuracy – planning carefully to ensure accuracy, then attack with speed when you decide to act.
When you commit in attack, you cannot fail. You don’t stop till you succeed. That’s commitment. Only failure is in quitting.
From my best I expect the most.
Pick your words carefully, and whatever you say, mean it.
Duty is not a question. The question is whether to fulfill it or not?
90% of our communication is non-verbal, but we focus on the 10%. Then, we get upset when no one understands us.
Honor is a self‐sustained idea.
A “yes” is a yes, a “no” is a no, and the two should never mix.
Never compromise. Compromise has the connotation that you’re leaving something good for something worse.
If you feel humiliated, you are not humble.
We are only as strong as our weakest self. In a group, like a chain it is only as strong as its weakest link.
The strongest must carry the weakest, and the weakest must step up to the strongest.
Leaders get up first and go to sleep last.
I’m here today because I’m a dreamer. I could not do this job if I was not.
Don’t carry a blade if it’s not sharp.
A sharp blade dulls quickly.
A dull blade is useless.
Sharpening the blade is the life of a warrior.
If you don’t take care of things, all things; they will all fade.
If your heart is not shattered ten thousand times, then you have not taught hard enough.
The thing that I would want is to be your friend, but you would not listen to me as you do, if I were.
My ways are my ways. What’s painful is painful. Everyone wants to be liked; yet I am alone. That’s the price of being decisive.
You may not be liked when you do what is right. Hence being liked does not determine a virtuous man.
A good teacher teaches with his head.
A great teacher teaches with his heart.
The Teacher teaches with his life.