4 Quotes & Sayings By Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Yamamoto Tsunetomo (Japanese: 山本綱吉), also known simply as Yamamoto, was a Japanese philosopher and writer, best known for his work Hagakure. He was a Zen Buddhist monk, born in the year 1150. Despite the encroachment of the Tokugawa government in the early part of his life, he was a prolific author and died at age eighty in 1225.

1
One's appearance bespeaks dignity corresponding to the depth of his character. One's concentrated effort, serene attitude, taciturn air, courteous disposition, thoroughly polite bearing, gritted teeth with a piercing look - each of these reveals dignity. Such outward appearance, in short, comes from constant attentiveness and seriousness. Yamamoto Tsunetomo
2
Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day one should meditate on being carried away by surging waves, falling from thousand-foot cliffs, dying of disease. Yamamoto Tsunetomo
3
All of us want to live, and that is absolutely natural. However, we should learn from childhood on to choose our best way to die. If we don't do that, we end up spending our days like a dog, only in search of harbour, food and expressing a blind loyalty to his owner in return. That isn't enough to make our lives have a meaning. Yamamoto Tsunetomo