“Die? Then so be it.”

“Lord Karasumaru considered it a grave mistake on the part of the gods tohave made a man like himself a nobleman. And, though a servant of theEmperor, he saw only two paths open to him: to live in constant misery orto spend his time carousing. The sensible choice was to rest his headon the knees of a beautiful woman, admire the pale light of the moon,view the cherry blossoms in season and die with a cup of sake in his hand. ”

“Is that so? He who lives in the mountains years for the city, and the city-dweller would rather live in the mountains," the Abbot chuckled, "and nothing is ever to one's liking...”

“How was Gengo to know, Saigyo reflected, that this unheroic existence imposed even greater torment than the icy lashings of the Nachi Falls in its thousand-foot leap? How was Gengo to realize that Saigyo had not slept a single night undisturbed since he had fled his home for the Eastern Hills, that his sleep was haunted by the cries of his beloved daughter from whom he had torn himself.Who knew that during the day, when he went about his tasks of drawing water and chopping wood as he composed verses, the sighting of the wind in the treetops of the valleys below and the pines surrounding the temple sounded to him like the mourning of his young wife, and so troubled his nights that sleep no longer visited him? Never again would Saigyo find peace. He had wrenched asunder the living boughs of the tree that was his life. Remorse and compassion for his loved ones would dog him to the end of his days.”

“Seorang samurai tidak bekerja sekadar untuk mengisi perut. Dia bukan budak makanan. Dia hidup untuk memenuhi panggilannya, untuk kewajiban dan pengabdian. Makanan hanyalah tambahan, sebuah berkah dari surga. Jangan menjadi laki-laki yang, karena terlalu sibuk mencari makan, menghabiskan hidupnya dalam kebimbangan.”

“Menurut satu aliran pemikiran, jika seseorang menguasai satu keterampilan, dia telah menguasai seluruh ilmu. Ilmu bela diri bukan jurus-jurus belaka-- ilmu bela diri menyangkut kematangan jiwa. Jika seseorang mengolah jiwanya dengan sungguh-sungguh, orang itu mampu menguasai segala sesuatu, termasuk seni belajar dan pemerintahan. Dia memandang dunia apa adanya, dan sanggup menilai orang.”

“bukan sekadar membaca, tetapi mempertemukan antara satu buku dengan yang lain, mempertemukan mereka dengan realitas lalu menemukan sintesis dan membuat tulisan kita sendiri.”