The beautiful workings of this [natural] universe are something you should know well, and it is absolutely essential to apprentice yourself as someone who follows these workings. And in reality, this is the public – and devotional – service to the planet and to humanity that aikido performs.
– – – O’Sensei, probably audio-recorded by by Masatake Fujita, transcribed by Sadateru Arikawa Shihan, published in Aiki-Shinzui, pp. 117-118