"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love"
About this Quote
The subtext is strategic. Aikido sells itself on harmonizing rather than conquering, yet it still has to solve the old martial problem: what keeps force from becoming ego? Ueshiba answers by building a chain where courage is only legitimate if it matures into self-sacrifice. That phrase can sound alarming in a modern ear, but inside martial culture it points to restraint: the ability to give up the cheap win, to absorb insult, to choose de-escalation even when youre capable of harm.
The last turn is the real pivot. Trust in the power of love is not romantic; its operational. Love here is the wager that non-dominating strength can work in the real world, that you can end a confrontation without humiliating the other person. Coming from a founder working through Japans militarized early 20th century and its aftermath, its also a quiet rebuke to glory-driven violence: the toughest act is refusing to need an enemy.
Quote Details
| Topic | Love |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Ueshiba, Morihei. (2026, January 16). Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/loyalty-and-devotion-lead-to-bravery-bravery-83163/
Chicago Style
Ueshiba, Morihei. "Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/loyalty-and-devotion-lead-to-bravery-bravery-83163/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/loyalty-and-devotion-lead-to-bravery-bravery-83163/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.












