“The most difficult part ot traditional taekwondo is not learningthe first kick or punch. It is not struggling to remember themotions of a poomsae or becoming aquainted with Korean culture.Rather, it is taking the first step across the threshold of the dojangdoor. This is where roads diverge, where choices are made thatwill resonate throughout a lifetime.”

“There were still choices to be made, decisions to reach, actions to take. Many of them. But in one...single declaration of intent, we stepped across the threshold of war.”

“Today you had a very important lesson on taking punches. A lot of people will tell you that the first thing you have to learn is how to take a punch. But I believe the first thing you should know is that you can take one and survive. A punch won't kill you. Conquering your fear is the first step to becoming a powerful fighter.”

“Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps, down new roads, armed with nothing but their own vision.”

“I don't always knew where this life is going. I can't see the end of the road, but here is the great part: Courage is not about knowing the path. It is about taking the first step. It is about Peter getting out of the boat, stepping out onto the water with complete faith that Jesus will not let him drown.”

“My grandfather knows about hauntings, it occurs to me now. Here was where he knew his sisters, here was what he remembered, every day, in his Imperial school, as the Japanese grammar spread inside him, as he learned the language of the people who took his sisters and destroyed them. All his thoughts come to him in Japanese first, his dreams in Japanese also... I think of how every single thing he says in Korean comes across a pause where the Japanese is stilled and the Korean brought forward. Each part of speech a rescue”