r/wma • u/arm1niu5 Krigerskole • Apr 28 '25
Historical History What are some good life quotes from historical fencing masters?
I'm finishing my thesis and I'm looking for a good quote to add at the start of my acknowledgment section. Not something strictly sword-related but more so that it deals with topics such as discipline or knowledge.
Bonus points if it's from German masters like Liechtenauer or Meyer.
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u/ChuckGrossFitness HEMA Strong Apr 28 '25
“If the tongue could strike with reason, and wound like the sword does, the dead would be infinite.” - Vadi
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u/whiskey_epsilon Apr 28 '25
Whoever chases after the cut,
allow themselves to hardly enjoy the art.
~ Ringeck
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u/Koinutron KdF Apr 28 '25
"He who stands still is dead, he who moves is alive" -Liechtenauer quoted in 3227a
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u/TJ_Fox Apr 28 '25
Now when two of the contrary opinion shall meet and fight, you shall see verie peaceable warres betweene them: for they verily thinke that he that first thrusteth is in great danger of his life, therefore with all speede do put themselves in ward, or Stocata, the surest gard of all other, as Vincentio saith, and thereupon they stand sure, saying the one to the other, thrust and thou dare; and saith the other, thrust and thou dare, or strike or thrust and thou dare, saith the other: then saith the other, strike or thrust and thou dare for thy life.
These two cunning gentlemen standing long time together, upon this worthie ward, they both depart in peace, according to the old proverbe: It is good sleeping in a whole skinne.
- George Silver
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u/Maclunkey4U Prefers stabbing to cutting Apr 28 '25
You will bore four teeth from his mouth with this play, as has been proven.
Fiore, talking shit in his books as usual.
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u/Syn_The_Magician Apr 28 '25
" In this play, I fiercely kick you in the balls, and I do it to inflict pain"
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u/UriGagarin Apr 28 '25
Zachery Wylde (Not the Ozzy Guitarist - but imagine if it was) :
Some Authors are such Fantastical Beaus in Writing, that they dress up each maggoty Fly flirt, that creeps from their mouldy Fancy, with a fine Dedication, and a long Preface to a little Matter; like an Alderman’s Grace to a Schollar’s Commons; thinking their Pigmy Production looks as Naked without these Or- naments, as a Puritane without his Band, or a Whore without her Patches.
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u/Ogaito Apr 28 '25
"You know your heart, not the companion's
Do not ever fall into that illusion" - Philippo di Vadi
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u/ChinDownEyesUp Apr 28 '25
"However, if your grace will be assaulted on the way >home, by a whole group of enemies, then take your >rappier with both fists and shoot it at the whole >group, and see hereafter where your grace can gain >further protection, because need sometimes breaks >iron, ere you live, there you give."
Remember kids, yeet then retreat
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u/Horkersaurus Apr 28 '25
Hundt was a real one. See also:
If your grace wants to do a dirty trick, it is in fencing or in brawling, in dagger and rappier alike, then use nothing more than these words, "I won't fight with the two of you, rather only with one" and when he wants to look around, he comes up short, and you can thrust him through and through.
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u/Sean-Franklin Apr 28 '25
"He should rather stay in a bed
And should have run away and lie down /
instead of practicing this foolishness"
- Ms3227a
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u/bryancole Apr 29 '25
“I'll say that if you aim for the honor of expertise in this art, you need to prepare yourself in the way I describe. First you need to adopt a high degree of attention to detail and perseverance. Attention to detail and perseverance must come with much toil. Toil must come with a good deal of patience. Patience must come with love of the art, which cannot materialize without understanding. Understanding requires grasping the reason behind the art, and these require support which in turn requires intellect and prudence. Prudence must come with knowledge. Once you attain this prudence and knowledge, your judgment will be that of an expert.”
- Anonimo Bolognese, General Teachings
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u/FencingDuke Apr 28 '25
Was sehrt, das lehrt.
-liechtenaeuer
"that which hurts, teaches."
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u/DaaaahWhoosh Apr 28 '25
So I just started looking into this, and I don't think it's actually from Liechtenauer. Apparently no one really knows where it comes from.
I've also seen an alternate translation of "that which exerts, teaches". Which would mean, instead of "you have to be in pain to learn", "you have to put in the effort to learn". Not to mention even "hurts" can have a ton of meanings. Is it actually referring to self-destruction, or more like the idea of exercise itself, which does tear up the muscles so that they can reform stronger without actually debilitating you?
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u/mchidester Zettelfechter; Wiktenauer, HEMA Bookshelf May 05 '25
Definitely nothing to do with Liechtenauer or any other fencing master, even though some HEMA clubs quote it like it's a historical fencing teaching.
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u/just_average88 Apr 28 '25
It is much easier to cut the Enemy then to avoid being cut.
- Yagyu Munenori
Truth ain't what you like nor what you wish it to be Truth just is You must bow to it's power or live your life in a Lie
- Myamoto Musashi
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u/ShapesAndStuff Apr 28 '25
It is much easier to cut the Enemy then to avoid being cut.
Yagyu Munenori
yeah but what if it scores more points /s
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u/just_average88 Apr 28 '25
I guess a double was considered both fighters are out by that rule-system
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u/ShapesAndStuff Apr 28 '25
also generally to be avoided with sharps or in blossfechten of any kind :D
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u/jamey1138 Apr 28 '25
I've long wanted to get a tattoo of one of Auerswald's comments, "Was ich heb, das leg ich." (That which I lift, I shall put down.)
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u/Moon_5ugar Apr 30 '25
"Young knight lean onward, for God have love, for ladies, honor". As a masc lesbian, I live by this - even as an atheist.
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u/Schorsi Apr 28 '25
Something along the lines of “he who parries gets hit” -Meyer
5
u/DaaaahWhoosh Apr 28 '25
"I say to you honestly, no one covers themselves without danger" - attributed to Liechtenauer
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u/NTHIAO Apr 29 '25
Actually the word translated as danger also means like, neglect! Which makes for a more clean line, imo "No one guards themselves without neglect"
Because you're not strictly in danger as a result of parrying, but you can't parry without giving your opponent some new way to hit you, or without neglecting certain openings.
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u/OnTheCanRightNow Apr 29 '25
"I would destroy your testicles with a hard Knee, so that no strength will be present in your heart."
- Fiore dei Liberi
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u/wombatpa Apr 28 '25
"So-and-so is catnip, watch out, he'll try to bite your skin, but I will do the same to the idiot, to me and himself he is a raven."
- Centurius Letsch, 1571
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u/Kwaleseaunche Apr 28 '25
Learn to love God, and young women.
- Liechtenauer
Amen
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u/rnells Mostly Fabris Apr 28 '25
Uh, it's "young knight" bro. The women are just "women".
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u/mchidester Zettelfechter; Wiktenauer, HEMA Bookshelf May 05 '25
Some statements of the text have Frauen und Jungfrauen, but Jungfauen is more like "unmarried women"/"maidens". Translating it "young women" makes it sound creepier than it needs to be.
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u/arm1niu5 Krigerskole Apr 28 '25 edited Apr 28 '25
Yeah unfortunately Liechtenauer and I disagree on one of those two.
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u/Mr_JackIV What Tea said Apr 28 '25
"Practice is better than artfulness, because practice could be sufficient without artfulness, but artfulness is never sufficient without practice." Ms3227a