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To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever-increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline — training — is about.

— James Clavell Shōgun (1975)

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More quotes by James Clavell

The search for the truth is the most important work in the whole world — and the most dangerous.

The Fly (1958)

What are clouds, but an excuse for the sky? What is life, but an escape from death?

Shōgun (1975)

The more I know, the more sure I am I know so little. The eternal paradox.

The Fly (1958)

I'm going to work hard not to have any wrong thoughts!

The Children's Story (1982)

Just a moment, children — what does "pledge" mean?

The Children's Story (1982)

All James Clavell quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: James Clavell (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.