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.

A samurai will use a toothpick even though he has not eaten. Inside the skin of a dog, outside the hide of a tiger.

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.

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.

Singlemindedness is all-powerful.

Having only wisdom and talent is the lowest tier of usefulness.

Calculating people are contemptable. The reason for this is that calculation deals with loss and gain, and the loss and gain mind never stops. Death is considered loss and life is considered gain. Thus, death is something that such a person does not care for, and he is contemptable. Furthermore, scholars and their like are men who with wit and speech hide their own true cowardice and greed. People often misjudge this.