Any game where the goal is to build territory has to be beautiful. There may be phases of combat, but they are only means to an end, to allow your territory to survive. One of the most extraordinary aspects of the game of go is that it has been proven that in order to win, you must live, but you must also allow the other player to live. Players who are too greedy will lose: it is a subtle game of equilibrium, where you have to get ahead without crushing the other player. In the end, life and death are only the consequences of how well or how poorly you have made your construction. This is what one of Taniguchi's characters says: you live, you die, these are consequences. It's a proverb for playing go, and for life. . Muriel Barbery
About This Quote

Taniguchi is referring to Hong Kong-style mahjong, played with tiles on a special board. The aim of this game is to build a wall of your own color next to your opponents' walls. If you're too greedy, you'll end up being crushed. You have to build a wall that's strong enough to survive a lot of attacks, but not so strong that it crushes the other player.

In the end, Taniguchi is saying that life and death are consequences of how well or how poorly we've made our construction. We have to live in order to survive, but we can't crush our opponents in order to win.

Source: The Elegance Of The Hedgehog

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