Thoughts and analysis of famous quotes.
Japan, the land of the rising sun, has a strong faith culture but also an impressive work ethic. The following quote from the 17th century, addresses these two aspects: "Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help." - Miyamoto Muashi What did the legendary samurati mean by these words? Muashi pointed out with these...
There are several quotes from Far Eastern philosophies that have a strong fascination for us Westerners. This quote from Miyamoto Musashi is one of them: "Fixation is the way to death. Flowing is the way to life." - Miyamoto Musashi What did the samurai, born in the sixteenth century, want to express with this statement?
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I could be.When I let go of what I have, I get what I need." - Lao Tzu / Laozi / Lau Tzu What does this quote mean? If I already have both hands full of anything, I can't pick up anything new. It is the same with our...
"Death smiles at us all, the only thing to do is to smile back." Marcus Aurelius The only thing that is certain to each of us is death. To help us deal with this very thing as healthily as possible, Marcus Aurelius left us a quote. It brings nothing to face the Grim Reaper broken and sorrowful....
There have certainly been situations in which you missed crucial things and the outcome was not as ideal as it could have been in retrospect. It was precisely to prevent such situations that the Japanese Rōnin included the following core statement in his teachings: Learn to look at the situation you are in as a whole. - Miyamoto Musashi, for example...
"Two men sat behind prison bars; one saw only mud, the other the stars." Dale Carnegie In Dale Carnegie's quote about the two men behind bars, the point is that no matter how bad our current situation seems to be, we always have the choice of looking at the world pessimistically or optimistically. It's...
"It is not because it is difficult that we dare not do it, but because we dare not do it that it is difficult. " Lucius Annaeus Seneca According to Seneca, we often think about problems so much that they seem more and more problematic in our minds. However, when we start to tackle something, it usually becomes clear that it can be done and that the fear of...
There is much more behind these words than just a simple phrase. Miyamoto Musashi did not give them a lot of meaning for nothing. Just because something sounds banal at first, we shouldn't simply dismiss it, and that's exactly how it is with this quote from the Japanese sword master and Zen Buddhist: "Accept everything as it is....
Nothing is to be valued higher than the value of this day. Johann Wolfgang von Göthe Why should we value nothing more highly than the value of this day? After all, there are a multitude of things that we could value. For example, friendship, love, or physical necessities like food. If we think the scenario a little further, however, we notice that...
There are many wise quotes and often they sound like a rather trivial phrase. But that doesn't mean they hold much truth and great utility - if we take them to heart. This quote by Miyamoto Musashi belongs exactly to this category. Originating from the time of the samurai, it therefore still has relevance today: It...
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