Yagyu Munenori quotes:

Conquering evil, not the opponent is the essence of swordsmanship.

Once a fight has started, if you get involved in thinking about what to do, you will be cut down by your opponent with the very next blow.

It is bias to think that the art of war is just for killing people. It is not to kill people, it is to kill evil. It is a strategem to give life to many people by killing the evil of one person.

See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body.

When you strike a blow, do not let your mind dally on it, not concerning yourself with whether or not it is a telling blow; you should strike again and again, over and over, even four or five times. The thing is not to let your opponent even raise his head.