By Paulo Coelho

The aikidô master demanded intensive training but never allowed his pupils to compete with other martial-arts academies. They all complained among themselves but no-one ever had the nerve to bring up the subject in class.
And then one day one of the boys dared to ask:
- We have dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly to the study of aikidô, but we shall never know whether we are good or bad fighters because we cannot compete with anyone from outside here.
- And may you never need to know that - was the master’s answer. - He who wants to fight loses his bond with the Universe. Here we study the art of resolving conflicts, not starting them.