Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Tether even a roasted chicken.
All abilities come from one mind
The deepest love is often hidden.
Continue to spur a running horse.
Singlemindedness is all-powerful.
The end is important in all things.
The way of the Samurai is found in death.
Matters of small concern should be treated seriously.
It is difficult for a fool's habits to change to selflessness.
Having only wisdom and talent is the lowest tier of usefulness.
One should make his decisions within the space of seven breaths.
By being impatient, matters are damaged and great works cannot be done
As everything in this world is but a sham, Death is the only sincerity.
By bringing shame to a person, how could one expect to make him a better man?
Purity is something that cannot be attained except by piling effort upon effort.
When meeting difficult situations, one should dash forward bravely and with joy.
To desire with one’s very soul every second of every day to accomplish one’s aim.
There are few people who will make mistakes with fire after having once been burned.
Human life is truly a short affair. It is better to live doing the things that you like.
If you are slain in battle, you should be resolved to have your corpse facing the enemy.
Light matters should be dealt with seriously. Serious matters should be dealt with lightly.
A warrior is worthless unless he rises above others and stands strong in the midst of a storm.
When confronted with two alternatives, life and death, one is to choose death without hesitation.
A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death.
When one is writing a letter, he should think that the recipient will make it into a hanging scroll.
Even if one's head were to be suddenly cut off, he should be able to do one more action with certainty.
The basic meaning of etiquette is to be quick at both the beginning and end and tranquil in the middle.
Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else.
As long as people overlook matters, then inferiors can, without any fear, lead an easy and peaceful life.
Go ahead and gamble a lie. A person who will not tell you seven lies within a hundred yards is useless as a man.
By inconsistency and frivolity we stray from the Way and show ourselves to be beginners. In this we do much harm.
A samurai will use a toothpick even though he has not eaten. Inside the skin of a dog, outside the hide of a tiger.
A person who is discreet in speaking will be useful during the good times and will avoid punishment during the bad.
Looking comparatively at the good things, you will see that they are not excluded from wisdom, humanity and bravery.
To give a person an opinion one must first judge well whether that person is of the disposition to receive it or not.
You cannot tell whether a person is good or bad by his vicissitudes in life. Good and bad fortune are matters of fate.
There is nothing we should be quite so grateful for as the last line of the poem that goes, 'When your own heart asks.
The person who practices an art is an artist, not a samurai, and one should have the intention of being called a samurai.
If one thinks only of winning, a sordid victory will be worse than a defeat. For the most part, it becomes a squalid defeat.
The saying 'the arts aid the body' is for samurai of other regions. For samurai of the Nabeshima clan the arts bring ruin to the body.
There is not a man who does not get senile by the time he reaches sixty. And when one thinks that he will not be senile, he is already so.
Whether people be of high or low birth, rich or poor, old or young, enlightened or confused, they are all alike in that they will one day die.
In the eyes of mercy, no one should have hateful thoughts. Feel pity for the man who is even more at fault. The area and size of mercy is limitless.
I have found that the Way of the samurai is death. This means that when you are compelled to choose between life and death, you must quickly choose death.
Bushido is realised in the presence of death. In the case of having to choose between life and death you should choose death. There is no other reasoning.
It is better to have some unhappiness while one is still young, for if a person does not experience some bitterness, his disposition will not settle down.
One should be wary of talking on end about such subjects as learning, morality or folklore in front of elders or people of rank. It is disagreeable to listen to.
It is said that one should not hesitate to correct himself when he has made a mistake. If he corrects himself without the least bit of delay, his mistakes will disappear.
A warrior should not say something fainthearted, even casually. He should set his mind to this beforehand. Even in trifling matters the depths of one's heart can be seen.
An affected laugh shows lack of self-respect in a man and lewdness in a woman. It is carelessness to go about with one's hands inside the slits in the sides of his hakama.