Quotes from Children's Essays

“Probably the greatest lesson that anyone could learn from Taekwondo is that working toward a worthy goal really makes us better people. It doesn’t matter if you’re throwing those last agonizing 10 kicks or staying after school to get help with a test; in essence they’re both the same.”

14 year old high green belt.

On Perseverance

“Some people may persevere through school just so they can go to Harvard or Vail.”
11 year old Green Belt.

“For me perseverance has a personal meaning. I have made a decision to pursue perfection in Taekwondo and to one day receive a black belt. I have always believed that you get what you want if you work hard enough for it.”
10 year old green belt.

“Taekwondo taught me that even if something is hard, if I keep practicing I will be able to do it. Reading is hard for me, but the more I read, the better I keep getting.”
6 Year old White belt.

“To me perseverance is when you try something and you fail you don’t give up, like when I am playing video games.”
11 year old Yellow Belt.

“A time when I didn’t use perseverance was when I was cleaning the basement. But then my parents made me finish.”
10 year old high yellow belt.

“I have times when I felt that I should give up, but remembered about perseverance And I kept going to make it this far. So if the word perseverance is said in a conversation, remember that word is more than a word to some.”
14 year old blue belt.

On Loyalty

“People in Taekwondo are loyal to each other. It’s like a second family.”
-High Yellow belt, age 10

“Being loyal to your family is very important. Not only are they some of your best friends in life, they would treat you the same as your friends would too (I Hope.)”
Green belt, age 10.

On Respect

"Respect black belts because they know good, cool moves and might teach them to you."

10 year old blue belt.

"Master Bill deserves all the respect he gets!!! He has taken the time to teach about 100 kids marshal arts. I don't know how he puts up with them all but I'm glad he does. If he didn't well lots of kids would be sitting on a couch somewhere watching 6 hours of TV."

13 year old white belt.

General Quotes

"All of the kicking and all of the blocks are worthless if you don’t know how to use them. In some of our daily classes we will suit up and put all of our knowledge to the test."
High Blue belt, age 13

"Taekwondo has left me with a feeling of accomplishment that I have never felt before. It has also left me with a great feeling of disappointment in myself, only making me work harder than ever before."
High Blue belt, age 14

"Taekwondo is the only sport that where you can leave your opponent at the first-aid table and still shake his hand afterwards."
High Blue belt, age 14

"If you don’t have patience at your long-term goals for Taekwondo then you will not achieve them."
High Green belt, age 11

"Integrity: I learned not to lie because it hurts your integrity.
Self-control taught me not to go down the wrong path. This is what Taekwondo has taught me."
High Yellow belt, age 10

"Having patience in achieving my long term goals in Taekwondo is like watering a plant. If you want it to grow, you have to care for it and make sure it has plenty of water and the proper nutrients."
High Green belt, age 20

"You line up with others at the starting line, and the whistle blows. You are already worn out by the second kilometer, so you stop. Later on you meet up with your friends at the finish, and they ask you how you did. Then you tell them that you got tired so you quitted. How stupid is that?"
Red Belt, age 13

"Taekwondo has been characterized from the beginning by determination, simplicity, honesty, bravery, self-sacrifice and loyalty."
High Red belt, age 11

"By achieving goals for Taekwondo, you can continue to learn more about the journey before you."
Green belt, age 10

"Just because they are younger or smaller doesn’t mean that I can bully or underestimate my juniors in Taekwondo."
High Blue belt, age 12

"Because of Taekwondo I feel self-improvement in my everyday life, in my job, at school and in my overall attitude in life."
Green belt, age 20

“When I first joined TKD when I was 10 the only purpose that I had was if someone made me mad I could beat them up. And so I could learn cool fighting moves to impress people. But that changed because I understood the real purpose and value of TKD. I started to learn about the hard work and self-discipline, but sometimes I didn’t like it very much!”

“I have met a lot of amazing people and they have made a huge difference in my life.”

14 year old black belt candidate.

“TKD has helped my mind to control my anger and not vent it on other people It has also helped to improve my self-esteem.”

Red Belt, Age 11

“Taekwondo has helped my family by teaching me more about respecting and obeying parents and elders.”

“Having an eye kept on my grades by more than just my parents keeps me motivated to get good grades.”

High Blue belt, age 12.