We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls. The most massive characters are seared with scars.

Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.

The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.

Ranks of this world will not be recognized in the next.

High rank and soft manners may not always belong to a true heart.

It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes.

Much effort, much prosperity.

Success is dependent on effort.

The mode by which the inevitable comes to pass is effort.

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

It is, arguably, the most difficult thing in life. Any guesses what that might be? How about the loss of a loved one, especially your spouse whom you’ve loved and lived with for your entire adult life?

It was November 04, 2024 that our KIA feature was, sadly, R.I.P. Liz “Quasar” Avram, Kiado-Ryu Black Belt #46. Today, August 04, 2025, Dean Avram, Quasar’s husband, gives an update on Quasar’s passing back on 27 October 2024.

To be prepared is half the victory.

Luck favors the mind that is prepared.

Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success.

If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.