Master Funakoshi's 20 Principles

1. Karate Do begins with courtesy and ends with courtesy.
2. There is no first attack in Karate.
3. Karate is a great assistance to justice.
4. Know yourself first and then others.
5. Spirit first: techniques second.
6. Be ready to release your mind.
7. Misfortune comes out of negligence.
8. Do not think that you can learn Karate only in the Dojo.
9. It will take your entire life to learn Karate - there is no limit.
10. Put your everyday living into Karate.
11. Karate is just like hot water. If you do not give heat constantly, it will again become cold water.
12. Do not think you have to win. Think, rather, that you do not have to lose.
13. Victory depends on your ability to tell vulnerable points from invulnerable ones.
14. Move according to your opponent.
15. Consider your opponent's hands and legs as you would sharp swords.
16. When you leave home , think that you have numerous opponents waiting for you. It is your behavior that invites trouble from them.
17. Low stance for beginners; natural stance for advanced students.
18. Practicing a Kata is one thing; engaging in a real fight is another.
19. Do not forget (a) light and heavy application of power, (b) expansion and contraction of the body, (c) slowness and speed of techniques.
20. Think and devise ways to live these precepts at all times.