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Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes

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Famous Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes

“Go ahead and gamble a lie. A person who will not tell you seven lies within a hundred yards is useless as a man.”

MenPersonsWarLyingHundredSevenUselessYardsGamble
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“It is bad when one thing becomes two. One should not look for anything else in the Way of the Samurai. If one understands things in this manner, he should be able to hear about all Ways and be more and more in accord with his own.”

IfsWayShouldLooksTwoAbleSpiritualityOne ThingAwarenessAccordSamurai
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“Sincerity does not only complete the self; it is the means by which all things are completed. As the self is completed, there is human-heartedness; as things are completed, there is wisdom. This is the virtue of one’s character, and the Way of joining the internal and external. Thus, when we use this, everything is correct.”

WayHumansMeanDoeSelfCharacterUseVirtueAll ThingsInternalsSincerityJoining
Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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“Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day when one’s body and mind are at peace, one should meditate upon being ripped apart by arrows, rifles, spears and swords, being carried away by surging waves, being thrown into the midst of a great fire, being struck by lightning, being shaken to death by a great earthquake, falling from thousand-foot cliffs, dying of disease or committing seppuku at the death of one’s master. And every day without fail one should consider himself as dead”

ShouldMindBodyFallFireMeditationFailingFeetDyingMastersThousandDiseaseWaveInevitableThrownMidstLightningArrowsMind And BodyCliffsEarthquakesRippedRiflesSpearsCarried AwayInevitable Death
Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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“It is a good viewpoint to see the world as a dream. When you have something like a nightmare, you will wake up and tell yourself that it was only a dream. It is said that the world we live in is not a bit different from this.”

WorldSaidDifferentDreamBitsWake UpNightmareViewpoints
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“One must know the so-called 'lesson of a downpour. A man, caught in a sudden rain en route, dashes along the road not to get wet or drenched. Once one takes it for granted that in rain he naturally gets wet, he can be in a tranquil frame of mind even when soaked to the skin. This lesson applies to everything.”

KnowsMenMindLessonsRainSkinsCaughtGrantedWetRoutesTranquilFrame Of Mind
Book:The Hagakure - The Way of the Samurai
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“All of man’s work is a bloody business. That fact, today, is considered foolish, affairs are finished cleverly with words alone, and jobs that require effort are avoided. I would like young men to have some understanding of this.”

MenFactsTodayJobsYoungUnderstandingEffortLike YouAffairFinishedFoolishYoung ManBloodyAvoided
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else.”

LooksMomentsPresent MomentSlipsSomewhere Else
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“If a retainer will just think about what he is to do for the day at hand, he will be able to do anything. If it is a single day's work, one should be able to put up with it. Tomorrow, too is but a single day.”

IfsThinkingShouldHandsAbleTomorrowRetainers
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“It is a principle of the art of war that one should simply lay down his life and strike. If one's opponent also does the same, it is a even match. Defeating one's opponent is then a matter of faith and destiny.”

IfsShouldDoeArtWarMatterPrinciplesDestinyMilitaryLaysStrikesOpponentsArt Of War
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“When one has made a decision to kill a person, even if it will be very difficult to succeed by advancing straight ahead, it will not do to think about going at it in a long roundabout way. One's heart may slacken, he may miss his chance, and by and large there will be no success. The Way of the Samurai is one of immediacy, and it is best to dash in headlong.”

IfsThinkingWayHeartMayPersonsLongMadeDifficultChanceDecisionMilitaryMissingSucceedAdvancingSamuraiImmediacy
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“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.”

HeartLittlesPersonsDoeWalksTroubleConflictDown AndMeritVirtuous
Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it was somewhere else. No one seems to have noticed this fact. But grasping this firmly, one must pile experience upon experience. And once one has come to this understanding he will be a different person from that point on, though he may not always bare it in mind. When one understands this settling into single-mindedness well, his affairs will thin out.”

LifeMindWellsLooksMayPersonsDifferentMomentsFactsSeemsUnderstandingAffairSettlingPresent MomentSlipsSomewhere ElseGraspingSingle Mindedness
Author:Yamamoto Tsunetomo
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“It is not good to settle into a set of opinions. It is a mistake to put forth effort and obtain some understanding and then stop at that. At first putting forth great effort to be sure that you have grasped the basics, then practicing so that they may come to fruition is something that will never stop for your whole lifetime. Do not rely on following the degree of understanding that you have discovered, but simply think, "This is not enough."”

ThinkingLifeFirstsMayEnoughWholeUnderstandingEffortMistakeOpinionDegreesLifetimeFollowingWhole LifeSettlingRelyBasicsFruitionGreat Effort
Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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“In China there was once a man who liked pictures of dragons, and his clothing and furnishings were all designed accordingly. His deep affection for dragons was brought to the attention of the dragon god, and onde day a real dragon appeared before his window. It is said that he died of fright. He was probably a man who always spoke big words but acted differently when facing the real thing.”

MenLifeSaidRealBigsAttentionWindowDiedAffectionChinaDragonsSpokesClothingsReal ThingsFrightFurnishingsDeep Affection
Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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“Our bodies are given life from the midst of nothingness. Existing where there is nothing is the meaning of the phrase, "Form is emptiness." That all things are provided for by nothingness is the meaning of the phrase, "Emptiness is form." One should not think that these are two seperate things.”

ThinkingShouldTwoBodyFormGivenAll ThingsPhrasesEmptinessMidstNothingnessGiven Life
Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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“Calculating people are contemptable. The reason for this is that calculation deals with loss and gain, and the loss and gain mind never stops. Death is considered loss and life is considered gain. Thus, death is something that such a person does not care for, and he is contemptable. Furthermore, scholars and their like are men who with wit and speech hide their own true cowardice and greed. People often misjudge this.”

PeopleMenMindPersonsDoeReasonTruthCareLife IsLossDealsSpeechGainsGreedWitCowardiceScholarCalculationsCalculating
Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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“What is called generosity is really compassion. In the Shin'ei it is written "Seen from the eye of compassion, there is noone to be disliked. One who has sinned is to be pitied all the more." There is no limit to the breadth and depth of ones heart. There is room enough for all. That we still worship the sages of the three ancient kingdoms is because their compassion reaches us yet today.”

HeartStillsEnoughEyeTodayThreeRoomsCompassionWrittenLimitsWorshipDepthAncientKingdomsGenerositySageBreadth
Author:Yamamoto Tsunetomo
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