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21 " When you realize you are no longer made of glass, you lose the desire to demonstrate that fragility in others. "
― Chris Matakas , The Tao of Jiu Jitsu
22 " We are force-fed beliefs through incessant advertisements by a culture that ceaselessly fosters our conformity to values which are of no service to the individual. "
23 " We are now forced to actively pursue our struggles. If we do not go out of our way to stretch our comfort zones and grow, no one nor nature will do it for us. "
― Chris Matakas
24 " Society is a collection of selves perpetuating their myth. "
― Chris Matakas , My Mastery: Learning to Live through Jiu Jitsu
25 " When you give your weakness permission to be because you understand that it is simply an expression of your strength, it tends to no longer be a weakness. "
― Chris Matakas , #Human: Learning To Live In Modern Times
26 " The point of meditating is not to learn to sit quietly in a room. The point is to live that way in the world. "
― Chris Matakas , My Mastery: Continued Education Through Jiu Jitsu
27 " The major events in our lives receive the entire spotlight, but ultimately your life will be defined by the same handful of choices you make each day. "
28 " Self-improvement is generally a removal of a vice rather than an acquisition of a virtue. "
29 " There is an undeniable truth that as one progresses further in his understanding of a craft the rest of his life progresses along with it. This symbiotic relationship between all things is experienced on a daily basis, but rarely articulated through conscious thought. "
30 " My growth as a human being has been directly proportional to my growth as a marital artist. "
31 " As an instructor, my goal has always been to use Jiu Jitsu as a vehicle to help our students achieve their goals, whatever the case may be. I have yet to find a better vehicle for growth, and the moment I do I will certainly pursue it with the rivaled fervor that I approached Jiu Jitsu. "
32 " I can think of no more worthwhile aim than pursuing mastery in this craft while transcending one’s own limitations. "
33 " I am a better son, brother, friend, and teacher because of the daily sacrifice and effort I put toward my craft. WIth all the advantages modern society has created, it has left us wanting. We no longer need to struggle to survive. Our basic needs are now met with minimal physical strife or mental challenge. Technology and the advances of man have left us over-stressed and under-performing. We are now forced to actively pursue our struggles. If we do not go out of our way to stretch our comfort zones and grow, no one nor nature will do it for us. "
34 " The only way to consistently perform at your potential is to ask: Am I better than I was yesterday? "
35 " Devoting yourself to a particular art is invaluable. The art becomes our vehicle with which we drive down the road of life. We use this vehicle to learn about ourselves and this place, to conquer fears, to become more of what we already are. In my own life, I have found most valuable the transferable skills of learning from jiu jitsu to all other facets of day to day study. In devoting myself with such commitment to this art, in undertaking the task of understanding jiu jitsu to whatever degree by circumstance allows, I have unknowingly learned how to learn. "
36 " Jiu Jitsu is the vehicle. Not the road. "
37 " I would more appropriately define mastery as the technical ability possible within the constraints of your particular existence. "
38 " Thoreau and Huxley calmly state what I have spent years trying to articulate, and never found the words for doing so. To read the words of these great men is to read the highest expression of my very self which is inexpressible due to the shortcomings of my particular nature. "
39 " Quotes tell a story. A stringing together of a few words can leave you with an idea that changes the course of your life, and can direct you toward reaching your highest potential as a human. The story they tell is derived from the experience which inspired them, and it is our sharing that experience that allows for the quote to resonate so deeply within our being. "
40 " Words make the intangible aspects of human experience communicable, and a single sentence can shatter our world view and assist us in the formulation of a new one. "