Tai Chi Quotes

Ask yourself how many times have you got what you wanted by trying too hard?

Real Tai Chi Chuan when looked at appears very simple. All of the gong fu, however, is on the inside. The inside is trained so that it will affect the outside. Change occurs from the inside out.
Koh Ah Tee

Tai chi is the one exercise that can universally help solve our growing health crisis. It has stood the test of thousands of years. We have a generation of baby boomers with increasing health problems; old people who are sick, in pain, fearful, and cranky; a middle class that is increasingly incapable of affording most of the drugs that are prescribed for their ailments; children that are flaccid, diabetic and asthmatic. People of all ages are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sugar, cigarettes, and caffeine. Stress follows almost everyone like a shadow.
Bruce Frantzis


The mind should be calm.
If the mind is not calm, one cannot concentrate, and when the arm is raised,
whether forward or back, left or right, it is completely without certain direction. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a calm mind.
The entire mind must also experience and comprehend the movements of the opponent.
Li I-Yu

Many excessively bounce around learning the next 'new' form or movement set without ever extracting the real internal value from any of them.
Bruce Frantzis


The way most people do tai chi, it's not a martial art. They could never use it the way they're doing it. Everything's in their hands, they just fill in the rest with fantasy talk.
Pale Gale

Tai chi does not mean oriental wisdom or something exotic. It is the wisdom of your own senses, your own mind and body together as one process.
Chungliang Al Huang

If all you learn is a lot of forms, you just become a good dancer.
James Wing Woo

Yang Cheng Fu (1833-1936) exemplifies the highest natural talent and achievement in
tai chi since he was entirely self-taught after his father (Yang Chian, 1839-1917) died.
His great example encourages us that even if excellent teachers are hard to find, we can
develop by ourselves if we really understand and apply the theories and principles of
tai chi chuan.
Jou Tsung Hwa

As the practitioner incorporates the quality of tai chi movement into his life, he finds that he stops banging into things. The result of not falling into each step provides the opportunity to instantaneously ease back from unexpected barriers.
Wolfe Lowenthal

Mentally focus on the execution of all movements, or try to visualise each movement.
It helps understand the intrinsic meaning or intentions of the movements.
Avoid thinking of anything else, you will find it easier to focus on the movement and use your mind to direct the movements.
Dr Paul Lam

The best form of endurance exercise is the performance of the event.
Bruce Lee

In real Tai Chi Chuan you receive; you don't go out looking.
Koh Ah Tee

The dantien is where the chi finds its root - the yongquan is where the body finds its root.
Koh Ah Tee

Back in India, yoga was developed. Check out these great yoga quotes.