Those Who Know Do Not Say
Understanding the Meaning of This Ancient Martial Art Adage
There is an old saying in martial arts (although it applies to nearly every subject), “Those who do not know, say. Those who do know do not say.” This can be a bit confusing at first, because if no one “says” – or talks about a subject – then how does anyone new learn about it? And if a master or instructor teaches a class, or “says” the lesson, does that mean that they “do not know?” Of course not!
Interestingly enough, there have been times in traditional martial arts when a master did not “say”: the master did not speak at all during a class, but rather entered the classroom and began performing techniques that the students then copied. This however is not an example of the phrase in question; just one of many teaching techniques.
When Saying is Bragging
So what then does the phrase mean? The best way to explain this riddle is to specify what is meant by the word “say.” People can “say” or speak for many reasons: to teach, to praise, to warn, and sometimes to brag or boast. It’s in this sense of boasting that the old saying refers to “saying.” Switch the words and the old saying becomes clearer: “Those who do not know (martial arts) brag. Those who do know martial arts do not brag.”
Replacing “say” with “brag” gets closer to explaining the phrase, but the word “know” is still a little vague because people can know a subject well, or not so well. If an English speaker studied Spanish for a year, that person could claim to know Spanish. Compared to a native Spanish speaker however, the one-year student’s knowledge of Spanish is lacking, to say the least.
In kind, specifying the level of assumed martial arts knowledge helps to further clarify the adage. Additionally with martial arts, knowing is synonymous with skill, as practitioners must experience to truly know; academic knowing of martial arts really isn’t the same. So replacing “know” with “has skill in” – and vice versa – comes closer to solving the riddle: “Those who do not have much skill in martial arts brag. Those who do have skill do not brag."
The Honest Novice
Still this rewording doesn’t quite explain the phrase as it’s not always true. Some practitioners who have little skill don’t brag. These people are honest about their inexperience, but hopefully realize that it’s all of matter of time and dedication. So eliminating the first sentence of the phrase further clarifies it: “Those who have skill do not brag.”
This point begets the final question when contemplating this phrase: “Why don’t skilled martial artists brag about their ability?” To answer that question one needs to ask the opposite question: “Why do the unskilled brag about abilities they don’t have?” The answer to that is thankfully a short one: because they want to appear tough – the key word being “appear.”
Why Some People Boast
Martial artists (or want to be martial artists or tough guys) who brag often do so because they lack confidence in their abilities, and try to gain confidence through consensus. That is, if they convince everyone else they are skilled it becomes “true.” The appearance of skill is a bearable substitute for lack of the real thing. It’s kind of like how Paris Hilton became a celebrity by appearing on television and telling everyone she is a celebrity.
Conversely, the skilled person who knows he or she is competent has no need to convince others. There is no need to appear tough, no need for confidence through consensus, because when one truly knows something, one doesn’t need to look to others for reassurance. This is real confidence, and it is true for any subject.
Go to a martial arts competition and often you’ll find that the nicest people outside of the ring are the most capable inside the ring. The people throwing fearsome stares and projecting a tough guy vibe – “saying” they are tough through their actions – are usually posturing because they are nervous. The capable ones are calm and non-threatening. Go to several martial arts competitions and you’ll soon learn to ignore the tough guys, braggarts, and show-offs. Instead you’ll learn to watch the quiet, cordial, and unassuming competitors, because they will be the ones you meet in the ring in the final rounds. The ones who “say” how tough they are will be the ones watching from the sidelines.
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