The Best Mr. Miyagi Quotes to Awaken the Karate Kid in You

If only we all had a Mr. Miyagi when we were kids to help guide us through the challenges of growing up.

Well, at least we’ve got the next best thing for you with this collection of Mr. Miyagi quotes.

How many times have you seen The Karate Kid?

It’s ok.

You can be honest.

We know it’s a lot.

But what’s not to love? 

The Karate Kid is a classic coming-of-age movie that teaches kids important themes like never give up, love yourself, and never stand for bullying.

Mr. Miyagi is the enlightened teacher we all needed.

The Karate Kid follows the story of a teenage boy named Daniel LaRusso (played by Ralph Macchio) who moves to a new city with his mother.

When Daniel starts getting bullied by karate black belt, Johnny (William Zabka), Daniel asks his apartment’s handyman, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) to teach him how to fight.

Throughout his training, Daniel ends up learning much more than karate skills as Mr. Miyagi teaches Daniel (and the audience) important lessons about learning from adversity, committing to what you want, and never taking shortcuts.

Without further ado, here is our list of some of the best Mr. Miyagi quotes to awaken the karate kid in you.

Don’t forget to also check out these Sailor Moon quotes from your favorite anime.

If you like this article, we suggest you explore our most popular quotes article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily encouragement. 

Read more related content on our inspirational quotes category page.

Mr. Miyagi quotes about proper mindset

1. “Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life.” — Mr. Miyagi

2. “Lie becomes truth only if person wanna believe it.” — Mr. Miyagi

3. “For a man with no forgiveness in heart, life worse punishment than death.” — Mr. Miyagi

4. “If come from inside you, always right one.” — Mr. Miyagi

5. “First learn to stand, then learn to fly. Nature rule Daniel-san, not mine.” — Mr. Miyagi

6. “Because sometimes what heart know, head forget.” — Mr. Miyagi

7. “Fighting always the last answer to the problem.” — Mr. Miyagi

8. “Ambition without knowledge is like a boat on dry land.” — Mr. Miyagi

9. “Never trust a spiritual leader who cannot dance.”— Mr. Miyagi

10. “Whole life have a balance. Everything be better.” — Mr. Miyagi

11. “When your temper rises, lower your fists. When your fists rise, lower your temper. — Mr. Miyagi

You might also like The Karate Kid quotes on trusting the process.

Mr. Miyagi quotes about karate and fighting

12. “First, we’ll make a sacred pact. I promise to teach you karate. That is my part. You promise to learn. I say you do, no questions. That is your part.”— Mr. Miyagi

13. “Use focus! Your best karate is still inside. Now it’s time to let it out!” — Mr. Miyagi

14. “In Okinawa, a belt means you don’t need a rope to hold your pants up. Daniel-san, karate is here [taps his head]. Karate is here [taps his heart]. Karate is never here [points to his belt]. Understand?”— Mr. Miyagi

15. “Walk on road, hmm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later… get squished just like grape.” — Mr. Miyagi

16. “Here are the 2 Rules of Miyagi-Ryu Karate. Rule number 1: ‘Karate for defense only.’ Rule number 2: ‘First learn rule number 1.’”— Mr. Miyagi

17. “Wax on, wax off. Wax on, wax off.” — Mr. Miyagi

18. “Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand?” — Mr. Miyagi

19. “Either you karate do “yes” or karate do “no.” You karate do “guess so,” (get squished) just like grape.” — Mr. Miyagi

20. “If karate is used to defend honor, defend life — karate means something. If karate is used to defend a plastic metal trophy — karate doesn’t mean anything.” — Mr. Miyagi

Mr. Miyagi quotes about success

21. “It’s okay to lose to opponent. Never okay to lose to fear.” — Mr. Miyagi

22. “If the root is strong, the tree will survive.” — Mr. Miyagi

23. “A man who can catch a fly with a chopstick can accomplish anything.” — Mr. Miyagi

24. “Only root karate comes from Miyagi. Just like a bonsai chooses its own way to grow because the root is strong; you can choose your own way to do karate for the same reason.”— Mr. Miyagi

25. “You stay focused.” — Mr. Miyagi

What life lesson from The Karate Kid stuck with you the most when you were growing up?

The lessons that Mr. Miyagi teaches Daniel remain just as important in adulthood as they were when we first watched the film as kids.

Mr. Miyagi teaches us that even though we may go through difficult challenges in life, we should not crumble to adversity, but learn from it instead.

There will always be a new challenge, but if we learn to face these challenges head-on, we will come out of the situation stronger and ready for the next one.

No matter what problems you’ve faced in your life (whether in childhood or adulthood), don’t let the tough times become your identity.

Consider what you’ve learned from the situation and how the experience helped you in the end.

Did you enjoy these Mr. Miyagi quotes and sayings?

Which quote was your favorite?

Let us know in the comments below.