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Shūsaku Endō Quotes

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Famous Shūsaku Endō Quotes

“Not all men are handsome and strong. There are some who are cowards from birth. There are some who are weak by nature. There are even some who cry easily. But for such a man, a man both weak and cowardly, to bear the burden of his weakness and struggle valiantly to live a beautiful life-- that's what I call great. The reason I'm so fond of Gaston is not because he has a strong will or a good head. Rather it's because, weakling and coward that he is, he keeps on fighting in his own way.”

“I tak samo jak ojciec, dziad i pradziad będzie kiedyś harować jak wół na tym nędznym skrawku ziemi leżącej nad ciemnym morzem, a potem umrze jak zwierzę. Lecz Chrystus nie umarł za pięknych i dobrych. Łatwo jest umierać za pięknych i dobrych, trudno za nędznych i znieprawionych - zrozumiałem to jasno w tamtej chwili.”

“I, too, stood on the sacred image. For a moment this foot was on his face. It was on the face of the man who has been ever in my thoughts, on the face that was before me on the mountains, in my wanderings, in prison, on the best and most beautiful face that any man can ever know, on the face of him whom I have always longed to love. Even now that face is looking at me with eyes of pity from the plaque rubbed flat by many feet. « Trample ! » said those compassionate eyes. « Trample ! Your foot suffers in pain ; it must suffer like all the feet that have stepped on this plaque. But that pain alone is enough. I understand your pain and your suffering. It is for that reason that I am here. » « Lord, I resented your silence. » « I was not silent. I suffered beside you. »”