Constant training:
“It is not good to settle into a set of opinions. It is a mistake to put forth effort obtaining some understanding and then stop at that. At first putting forth great effort to be sure that you have grasped the basics, then practicing so that they may come to fruition is something that will never stop for your whole lifetime. Do not rely on following the degree of understanding that you have discovered, but simply think, “This is not enough”. One should search throughout his whole life how best to follow the Way. And he should study, setting his mind to work without putting things off. Within this is the Way.”
From The Hagakure

On courage:
“War is the province of danger, and therefore courage above all things is the first quality of a Warrior. Courage is of 2 kinds: first, physical courage, or courage in the presence of danger; and next, moral courage, or courage before responsibility, whether it be before the judgment of external authority, or of the inner power, the conscience. Courage before danger, again, is of 2 kinds. First, it may be indifference to danger, whether proceeding from the organism of the individual, contempt of death, or habit: in any of these cases it is to be regarded as a permanent condition. Secondly, courage may proceed from positive motives such as personal pride, patriotism, or enthusiasm of any kind. In this case courage is not so much a normal condition as an impulse. We may conceive that the 2 kinds act differently. The first kind is more certain because it has become a second nature, it never forsakes the man; the second often leads him farther. In the first there is more firmness, in the second, more boldness. The first leaves the judgment cooler, the second raises it’s power at times, but often bewilders it. The 2 combined make up the most perfect kind of courage.”
From Vom Kriege –Carl von Clausewitz, 1832 AD

Allowing a situation to unfold, and flowing with it:
“Martial art is ultimately an athletic expression of the dynamic human body. More important yet is the person who is there expressing his own soul. Yes, martial art is an unfolding of what one is-his anger, his fears-and yet under all these natural human tendencies, which we all experience after all, a “quality” martial artist can, in the midst of all these commotions, still be himself. And it is not a question of winning and losing but it is a question of being what is at that moment and being wholeheartedly involved with that particular moment and doing one’s best. The consequence is left to whatever will happen. Therefore to be a martial artist also means to be an artist of life. Since life is an ever-going process, one should flow in this process and to discover, to actualize, and to expand oneself.”
-Bruce Lee

On training:
“Soldiers without training cannot stand up to one out of a hundred opponents. K’ung Fu-tzu said, “to send people to war without teaching them is called abandoning them”. Therefore soldiers must be taught without fail. First train them in conduct and duty, teach them to be loyal and trustworthy, instruct them regarding rules and penalties, awe them through rewards and punishments. When they understand enough to follow along, then train them in maneuvers. One man can teach ten, ten can teach one hundred, one hundred can teach one thousand, one thousand can teach ten thousand thus establishing an army. Train in this method and you will crush all opponents.”
From The way of The General: Essays on Leadership And Crisis Management
–Zhuge Liang, circa 220 AD

The irrelevance of winning or losing:
“Every battle that takes place, whether within the body, the mind, or outside of it, is always a battle against oneself.”
-Zen proverb

Seizing opportunity:
“To overcome the intelligent by folly is contrary to the natural order of things; to overcome the foolish by intelligence is in accord with the natural order. To overcome the intelligent by intelligence, however, is a matter of opportunity. There are three paths of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions. When opportunities occur through events and you fail to respond, you are not smart. When opportunities are present through a trend and you fail to make plans, you are not wise. When opportunities materialize through conditions and you do not act on them, you are not bold. Skilled generals always achieve their victories by taking advantage of opportunities. The art of certain victory, the mode of harmonizing with changes, is a matter of opportunities. And of all avenues of seeing opportunity, none is greater than the unexpected.”
From The Way of The General –Zhuge Liang, c. 220 AD

“Sages follow the rules of heaven; the wise obey the laws of earth; the intelligent follow precedent. Harm befalls the arrogant; calamity visits the proud. People who talk too much are untrustworthy; few people feel indebted to the self-serving. Rewarding the unworthy causes alienation; punishing the innocent causes resentment. Those whose appreciation or anger are unpredictable perish.”
From The Way of The General –Zhuge Liang, c. 220 AD

“If you put victory first, you will surely get beaten later; if you begin angry, you will regret it later. One day’s anger can destroy your whole life. Thus the superior man is stern but not ferocious; he may get angry, but not furious; he may worry, but does not fear; he may rejoice, but is not overjoyed.”
From The Way of The General –Zhuge Liang, c. 220 AD

Recognizing abilities:
“In military action, there are men who like to fight and enjoy battle, single-handedly taking on powerful opponents; gather them into a squad and call them “the warriors who repay the nation”. There are mettlesome men with ability and strength, courage and speed; gather them into a squad and call them “the warriors who crash the battle lines”. There are those who can shoot on horseback, swift as flight, hitting their mark every time; form them into a squad called “the galloping warriors”. There are archers whose aim are accurate and deadly; make a squad of these men called “the warriors of the fighting edge”. The superior general employs his warriors according to their abilities and particular skills.”
From The Way of The General –Zhuge Liang, c. 220 AD