The line between life and death is not thicker than an eyelid.

The bitter winds in February were sometimes called the First East Winds, but the longing for spring somehow made them seem more piercing.

I want to dedicate myself to training and discipline. I want to spend every moment of every day working to improve myself.

The truth of the scholar, alone in his study, does not always accord with what the world at large considers to be true.

Sincerity, even if it speaks with a stutter, will sound eloquent when inspired.

...you're going to find people from all over the country, everyone hungry for money and position. You won't make a name for yourself just doing what the next man does. You'll have to distinguish yourself in some way.

To Kiyomori each stall, each soul here seemed borne under by the crushing weight of the world; everyone here was a pitiful weed, trodden underfoot -- a conglomeration of human lives putting down roots in this slime, living and letting live in the struggle to survive; and he was stirred by the fearful and magnificent courage communicated by the scene.