Light matters should be dealt with seriously. Serious matters should be dealt with lightly.
All abilities come from one mind.
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.
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.
If you are slain in battle, you should be resolved to have your corpse facing the enemy.
By bringing shame to a person, how could one expect to make him a better man?
Nothing is impossible in this world. Firm determination, it is said, can move heaven and earth. Things appear far beyond one’s power, because one cannot set his heart on any arduous project due to want of strong will.
If one thinks only of winning, a sordid victory will be worse than a defeat. For the most part, it becomes a squalid defeat.
To desire with one’s very soul every second of every day to accomplish one’s aim.
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.
The Four Oaths: Never be late with respect to the way of the warrior; be useful to the lord; be respectful to your parents; get beyond love and grief: exist for the good of man.
Looking comparatively at the good things, you will see that they are not excluded from wisdom, humanity and bravery.
As everything in this world is but a sham. Death is the only sincerity.
Even if one’s head were to be suddenly cut off, he should be able to do one more action with certainty.
The person who practices an art is an artist, not a samurai, and one should have the intention of being called a samurai.
There is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all. This person is aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way and never thinks of himself as having finished.
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.
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.
Be true to the thought of the moment and avoid distraction. Other than continuing to exert yourself, enter into nothing else, but go to the extent of living single thought by single thought.
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.