A warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself.

'It's odd,' says the warrior of light to himself. 'I have met so many people who, at the first opportunity, try to show their very worst qualities. They hide their inner strength behind aggression; they hide their fear of loneliness behind an air of independence. They do not believe in their own abilities, but are constantly trumpeting their virtues.'

The warrior reads these messages in many of the men and women he meets.

He is never taken in by appearances and makes a point of remaining silent when people try to impress him. And he uses the occasion to correct his own faults, for other people make an excellent mirror.

A warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself.

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Whenever the warrior draws his sword, he uses it.

Whenever the warrior draws his sword, he uses it. It can be used to clear a path, to help someone, to fend off danger, but a sword is a capricious thing and does not like to see its blade exposed for no good reason. That is why the warrior never makes threats. He can attack, defend himself or flee; all of these attitudes form part of combat. It is not, however, part of combat to diminish the force of a blow by talking about it. A warrior of light is always alert to the movements of his sword. But he never forgets that the sword is watching his every move as well. It was not made to be used by the mouth.

A wise Chinese has this to say about the strategies of the warrior of light:

A wise Chinese has this to say about the strategies of the warrior of light: 'Convince your enemy that he will gain very little by attacking you; this will diminish his enthusiasm.' 'Do not be ashamed to make a temporary withdrawal from the field if you see that your enemy is stronger than you; it is not winning or losing a single battle that matters, but how the war ends.' 'Even if you are very strong, never be ashamed to feign weakness; this will make your enemy act imprudently and attack too soon.' 'In war, the key to victory is the ability to surprise one's opponent.'

A warrior of light is never predictable.

A warrior of light is never predictable. He might dance down the street on his way to work, gaze into the eyes of a complete stranger and speak of love at first sight, or else defend an apparently absurd idea. Warriors of light allow themselves days like these. He is not afraid to weep over ancient sorrows or to feel joy at new discoveries. When he feels that the moment has arrived, he drops everything and goes off on some long-dreamed-of adventure. When he realises that he can do no more, he abandons the fight, but never blames himself for having committed a few unexpected acts of folly. A warrior does not spend his days trying to play the role that others have chosen for him.

Manual of The Warrior of Light

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