A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death.

The saying 'the arts aid the body' is for samurai of other regions. For samurai of the Nabeshima clan the arts bring ruin to the body.

Light matters should be dealt with seriously. Serious matters should be dealt with lightly.

It is better to have some unhappiness while one is still young, for if a person does not experience some bitterness, his disposition will not settle down.

It is a good viewpoint to see the world as a dream. When you have something like a nightmare, you will wake up and tell yourself that it was only a dream. It is said that the world we live in is not a bit different from this.

It is difficult for a fool's habits to change to selflessness.

There is not a man who does not get senile by the time he reaches sixty. And when one thinks that he will not be senile, he is already so.