25 Quotes by Mineko Iwasaki

Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime.

No, Mineko, beauty is universal. There is an absolute principle in this world that underlies the appearance and disappearance of all phenomena. That is what we call karma. It is constant and immutable, and gives rise to universal values like beauty and morality.

Cleaning is considered a vital part of the training process in all traditional Japanese disciplines and is a required practice for any novice. It is accorded spiritual significance. Purifying an unclean place is believed to purify the mind.

And we are not mountaintop sages who can live by consuming mist.

They begged me not to quit. But they didn’t offer to change anything.

A real mother could not have done more. Maybe the time has come to change my mind, I thought. When we finished the meal I took the plunge. I looked directly at her and said, “Mom, let’s go home.

So we support the dance but it does not support us.

Auntie Oima told me that the reason our hair ornaments have pointed ends is so that we can use them to defend our customers from attack.

A star geiko is never, ever alone and I always wanted to be by myself.