Quote

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

Yamamoto Tsunetomo

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Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Age: 60 †
Born: 1659
Born: June 11
Died: 1719
Died: November 30
Bushi
Philosopher
Writer
Hizen Domain
Persons
Ahead
Person
Seven
Men
Lies
Hundred
Within
Lying
Gamble
War
Yards
Tell
Useless

More quotes by Yamamoto Tsunetomo

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To give a person an opinion one must first judge well whether that person is of the disposition to receive it or not.
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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.
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Singlemindedness is all-powerful.
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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.
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When someone is giving you his opinion, you should receive it with deep gratitude even though it is worthless. If you don't, he will not tell you the things that he has seen and heard about you again.
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Having only wisdom and talent is the lowest tier of usefulness.
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I have found that the Way of the samurai is death. This means that when you are compelled to choose between life and death, you must quickly choose death.
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If you are slain in battle, you should be resolved to have your corpse facing the enemy.
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Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else.
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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.
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There is nothing we should be quite so grateful for as the last line of the poem that goes, 'When your own heart asks.
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The basic meaning of etiquette is to be quick at both the beginning and end and tranquil in the middle.
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A warrior should not say something fainthearted, even casually. He should set his mind to this beforehand. Even in trifling matters the depths of one's heart can be seen.
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Tether even a roasted chicken.
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A warrior is worthless unless he rises above others and stands strong in the midst of a storm.
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A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death.
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In the Kamigata area, they have a sort of tiered lunchbox they use for a single day when flower viewing. Upon returning, they throw them away, trampling them underfoot. The end is important in all things.
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A person who is discreet in speaking will be useful during the good times and will avoid punishment during the bad.
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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.
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There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. There will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment.
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