If you are slain in battle, you should be resolved to have your corpse facing the enemy.

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Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else.

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Nothing is impossible in this world. Firm determination, it is said, can move heaven and earth. Things appear far beyond one's power, because one cannot set his heart on any arduous project due to want of strong will.

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

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There is nothing we should be quite so grateful for as the last line of the poem that goes, 'When your own heart asks.

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I have found that the Way of the samurai is death. This means that when you are compelled to choose between life and death, you must quickly choose death.

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In China there was once a man who liked pictures of dragons, and his clothing and furnishings were all designed accordingly. His deep affection for dragons was brought to the attention of the dragon god, and onde day a real dragon appeared before his window. It is said that he died of fright. He was probably a man who always spoke big words but acted differently when facing the real thing.

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Even if it seems certain that you will lose, retaliate. Neither wisdom nor technique has a place in this. A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death. By doing this, you will awaken from your dreams.

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There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you will still get the same soaking. This understanding extends to everything.

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

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