Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes

“Imitating another style is simply a sham.”

“The Way of the samurai is found in death.”

“For a warrior there is nothing other than thinking of his master.”

“You will be tripped up by people when your resolution is lax.”

“Negligence is an extreme thing.”

“Be determined and advance. To say that dying without reaching one’s aim is to die a dog’s death is the frivolous way of sophisticates.”

“To give a person one’s opinion and correct his faults is an important thing. It is compassionate and comes first in matters of service.”

“Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday more skillful than today. This is never-ending.”

“Once there was a certain man who was very clever, but it was his character to always see the negative points of his jobs. In such a way, one will be useless.”

“When pressed with the choice between life or death, it is not necessary to gain one’s aim.”

“If by setting one’s heart right every morning and evening, one is able to live as though his body were already dead, he gains freedom in the Way.”

“There are both people who have quick intelligence, and those who must withdraw and take time to think things over.”

“People think that they can clear up profound matters if they consider them deeply, but they exercise perverse thoughts and come to no good because they do their reflecting with only self-interest at the center.”

“Because we do most things relying on our own sagacity we become self-interested, turn our backs on reason, and things do not turn out well.”

“People think that they are being kind by saying things that others find distasteful or difficult to say. But if it is not received well, they think that here is nothing more to be done. This is completely worthless. It is the same as bringing shame to a person by slandering him. It is nothing more than getting it off one’s chest.”

“By bringing shame to a person, how could one expect to make him a better man?”

“It is a mistake to put forth effort and obtain some understanding and then stop at that.”

“It is bad taste to yawn in front of people.”

“The way of revenge lies simply in forcing one’s way into a place and being cut down. There is no shame in this. By thinking you must complete the job you will run out of time.”

“Even if you are aware that you may be struck down today and are firmly resolved to an inevitable death, if you are slain with an unseemly appearance, you will show your lack of previous resolve, will be despised by your enemy, and will appear unclean. For this reason it is said that both old and young should take care of their appearance.”

“There are people who are good at manners but have no uprightness.”