Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes on Virtue
Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure treats virtue as a settled quality of character rather than a matter of rules, and the quotes gathered here express that. For Tsunetomo the mark of a virtuous person is inner composure: the heart of a virtuous person has settled down and he does not rush about at things, whereas a person of little merit is not at peace but stirs up trouble and conflict. He valued a constructive disposition over mere cleverness, observing that a man who always sees the negative points of his work will in the end be useless. Among the counsels associated with the work is the resolve, when torn between two courses, to choose the harder, marked here as attributed. Drawn from the Hagakure, these passages present virtue as steadiness, resolve, and a character at peace with itself.
Quotes
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Attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo:
“The way of the samurai is found in death.”
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“Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily.”
Hagakure -
Attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo:
“There is something to be learned from a rainstorm; if one has no umbrella, one is going to get wet, and that is that.”
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Attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo:
“Matters of importance should be undertaken lightly; matters of small importance should be undertaken seriously.”
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Attributed to Yamamoto Tsunetomo:
“When you cannot decide between two courses, choose the harder.”
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“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.”
Hagakure(c. 1716) -
“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.”
Hagakure(c. 1716)