Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes

Lord Aki once said that martial valor is a matter of becoming a fanatic. I thought that this was surprisingly in accord with my own resolve and I thereafter became more and more extreme in my fanaticism.

The heart of a virtuous person has settled down and he does not rush about at things. A person of little merit is not at peace but walks about making trouble and is in conflict with all.

According to their nature, there are both people who have quick intelligence, and those who must withdraw and take time to think things over.

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.

Kai ta­vo pro­tas blaš­ko­si tai šen, tai ten, ap­mąs­ty­mai niekuomet ne­virs tei­sin­go­mis iš­va­do­mis. Tik bū­da­mas tvir­tos, skais­čios ir ne­mir­tin­gos dva­sios žmo­gus įstengs pro­tin­gai nuspręs­ti įkvė­pęs ir iš­kvė­pęs sep­ty­nis kar­tus. Ta­čiau tam jis pri­va­lo bū­ti ryž­tin­gas ir pa­si­ren­gęs nu­šluo­ti vi­sa sa­vam ke­ly­je.

Although it is unfitting for someone like me to say this, in dying it is my hope not to become a Buddha. Rather, my will is permeated with the resolution to help manage the affairs of the province, though I be reborn as a Nabeshima samurai seven times. One needs neither vitality nor talent. In a word, it is a matter of having the will to shoulder the clan by oneself.

Feeling deeply the difference between oneself and others, bearing ill will and falling out with people — these things come from a heart that lacks compassion. If one wraps up everything with a heart of compassion, there will be no coming into conflict with people.

The way of revenge lies in simply forcing one's way into a place and being cut down. There is no shame in this. By thinking that you must complete the job you will run out of time. By considering things like how many men the enemy has, time piles up; in the end you will give up. No matter if the enemy has thousands of men, there is fulfillment in simply standing them off and being determined to cut them all down, starting from one end. You will finish the greater part of it.

If a man does not investigate into the matter of Bushidō daily, it will be difficult for him to die a brave and manly death. Thus it is essential to engrave this business of the warrior into one's mind well. One should put forth great effort in matters of learning. One should read books concerning military matters, and direct his attention exclusively to the virtues of loyalty and filial piety. Having been born into the house of a warrior, one's intentions should be to grasp the long and the short swords and to die.

Cierto espadachín dijo en sus años de declive que en la vida de cada cual existen etapas en el estudio. En la etapa más baja, uno estudia, pero no obtiene nada de ello, y siente que tanto uno como los demás son torpes. En este punto se siente inútil. En la etapa intermedia, sigue sintiéndose inútil, pero es consciente de sus propias carencias, así como de las de los demás. En la etapa alta, uno se enorgullece de su propia habilidad, se regocija en el elogio de los demás y lamenta la carencia de habilidades en quienes no las tienen. Uno ya no es inútil. En la etapa superior uno proyecta el aspecto de no saber nada. Estos son los niveles en general, pero existe uno trascendental, la excelencia absoluta. El que llega es consciente de la infinidad que supone adentrarse profundamente en la Senda, y nunca considera haber alcanzado una cima. Tampoco alberga pensamientos de orgullo, sino que se dispone a recorrer el camino hasta el final con humildad.

Knowing the Way is to know your own faults. Discovering your imperfections with endless introspection and to remedy them by spending your life training body and mind (shugyō), that is the Way.

In the highest level a man has the look of knowing nothing .

In offering one’s opinion, one must first ascertain whether or not the recipient is in the right frame of mind to receive counsel.

In carefully scrutinizing the affairs of the past, we find that there are many different opinions about them, and that there are some things that are quite unclear. It is better to regard such things as unknowable.

[...] if one seeks to resolve a problem, let it sit for a while, take time to think about the “Four Oaths” and subdue any self-centered thoughts, and then you will be able to proceed without faltering.