3. SHAOLIN MONK: Always be prepared
This quote has been attributed to different people so I just put ‘Armed forces’ to be safe. It’s been credited to George Patton and as being the Navy Seals motto (which it isn’t) but I didn’t find a source I was confident enough to put on the final cartoon. If anyone knows for certain who first said this, please let me know. Obviously, this quote is popular with military groups and martial arts practitioners, but it can apply to anyone.
This is the first toon featuring my lil Shaolin Monk character who’s on the Zen Pencils logo and I’m thinking might pop up from time to time for various quotes. When I was a kid (who am I kidding, even now) I was totally obsessed with anything related with kung-fu, samurai and especially ninjas (c’mon, who doesn’t love ninjas?) so this quote was perfect to show off my love for ass-kicking martial arts warriors.
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AWESOME!!
thanks.
Brilliant. I feel exhausted just looking at it.
Ha ha – thanks nik.
Really like the style of this one, with the rough edges and stuff.
“The more you sweat in times of peace, the less you’ll bleed in times of war.”
loved it. piece of art. thanks
brilliant
This is exactly what I needed to see. Thanks Gav. Its my first time here and Im glad I stopped by.
Gorgeous cartoon. The saying can’t be anything recent, as it is nearly identical to a Czech proverb (sorry, the diacriticals are missing): “Tezko na bojisti, lehko na boj”. This translates literally “hard on the training grounds, easy in the battle” with a meaning that certainly can be, but is not necessarily, connected to the military (I heard it in an academic context, about studying for future work). Since it’s a proverb, it must have been around for a while. Thank you!
Thanks for the info Mark.
My kung-fu shifu told me this once while I was sweating and sprawled out on the floor. After thinking about it for a few seconds it made sense and gave me the strength I’ve needed for all these years! Glad you could make such a great work of art out of it!
The British Army sum it up more pithily:
“Train hard. Fight easy.”
Really amazing one.
Thanks for the inspiration.
http://tojosan.posterous.com/work-isnt-practice
Hey, just curious, is this available to be purchased as a print? I’d love to ask my Shifu if we could hang it up in the place that I do martial arts in.
No not yet. I can make it available, just haven’t got any requests for this one.
he lost all his water!!
I am seconding the request for a print for this one. I want it for my AP Calculus classroom.
Would love to see this print for sale as well!
A Very Very Inspiring Quote I have one too “The Harder you study, The Easier your exam” lol THANKS ALOT!!
So beautiful and inspiring! I’ve shared with my kung fu-practioner friends.
Thank you for share your lovely art!
true story …
This is honestly my favorite quote. Ever. I practice TaeKwonDo a LOT and this quote often runs through my head when I train and pushes me further. To me, this is like a rule to live by. Love it.
In the IDF (Israeli Defence Force) we say ??? ????????, ?? ???? which also translates to “hard on the training grounds, easy in the battle”. I guess every army uses it by now
if my last post is just question marks then read it “Kashe ba’imunim, kal ba’kraav”
“A pint of sweat saves a gallon of blood.”
—-George S. Patton
would this be coming out on print? i’m interested in it
I always thought it came from a Chinese proverb:
Simplified Chinese:
???????????
Traditional Chinese:
???????????
which comes out meaning something like: ‘If one sweats more in peace, one bleeds less in war’ in the most basic of translations.
Just thought I’d add something to the conversation.
Print is finally available!
http://society6.com/zenpencils/3-SHAOLIN-MONK_Print
Just bought one! Thanks, great site!
Back in the 80′s I heard an Australian Naval Officer using the quote “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war”. He attributed it to Mao Tse Tung.
Got my print of this in the mail this weekend and brought it framed into my office this morning. Thanks!
the version i was familiar to said “cry in the Dojo, laugh in the battlefield”
First of all, a huge thanks to you, I’ve just discovered the site and I’m amazed by the drawings ^^
In our country (Russia) this proverb usually is attributed to a XVIII century general, Alexander Suvorov (who never lost a single battle!), it sounds something like “What is difficult in training will become easy in a battle” (“?????? ? ??????, ????? ? ???”).
Can i get a high resolution, (rectangle 16:9 would) pic? I want to make it my desktop wallpaper for some daily motivation.
M.W. van Swieten is who I find it most attributed to.
Reminds me of Samurai Jack.
Sun Tzu
Cuanto más sudas en el entrenamiento, sangras menos en la batalla
Love it!! And I appreciate the honesty at the end in regards to where the quote originated. When I first saw the armed forces, I was a bit disappointed, but you are very right in that it can apply to anyone!
How you going to compare these monks to the Navy.
The monks ahve a lot more repsect for human beings than any military ever will, especially a military that works for corporations.
Seriously? Methinks you must have a few screws loose to disparage an entire organization with such a wide brush. I guess our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are simply better than you, ‘Boss’. They sweat and bleed so you can post vapid comments on an internet web comic.