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Above all, the Way of the Samurai should be in being aware that you do not know what is going to happen next, and in querying every item day and night. Victory and defeat are matters of the temporary force of circumstances.

— Yamamoto Tsunetomo Hagakure (1716)

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More quotes by Yamamoto Tsunetomo

The basic meaning of etiquette is to be quick at both the beginning and end and tranquil in the middle.

Hagakure (1716)

When the time comes, there is no moment for reasoning.

Hagakure (1716)

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. ... Live being true to the single purpose of the moment.

By bringing shame to a person, how could one expect to make him a better man?

Hagakure (1716)

Although it stands to reason that a samurai should be mindful of the Way of the Samurai, it would seem that we are all negligent.

Hagakure (1716)

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