"Fighting isn't all there is to the Art of War. The men who think that way, and are satisfied to have food to eat and a place to sleep, are mere vagabonds. A serious student is much more concerned with training his mind and disciplining his spirit than with developing martial skills."- Miyamoto Musashi discussing the Way with his disciple Jotaro from the novel Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Although Eiji Yoshikawa's book about Musashi is fictional, this quote is quite apropos. It takes so long to get past the "fighting" to get to the real heart of the situation. Inside of each of us is where the real battle takes place. Any altercation before that is just a distraction. Any fighting outside of that is just a waste of time. Until we can realize that we are our enemy, the battle will never truly begin.