As everything in this world is but a sham. Death is the only sincerity.

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.

Covetousness, anger and foolishness are things to sort out well. When bad things happen in the world, if you look at them comparatively, they are not unrelated to these three things.

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.

One should be wary of talking on end about such subjects as learning, morality or folklore in front of elders or people of rank. It is disagreeable to listen to.

By inconsistency and frivolity we stray from the Way and show ourselves to be beginners. In this we do much harm.

Even if one's head were to be suddenly cut off, he should be able to do one more action with certainty.

The basic meaning of etiquette is to be quick at both the beginning and end and tranquil in the middle.

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.