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 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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A warrior is worthless unless he rises above others and stands strong in the midst of a storm.

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It is a principle of the art of war that one should simply lay down his life and strike. If one's opponent also does the same, it is a even match. Defeating one's opponent is then a matter of faith and destiny.

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

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It is a wretched thing that the young men of today are so contriving and so proud of their material posessions. Men with contriving hearts are lacking in duty. Lacking in duty, they will have no self-respect.

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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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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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The deepest love is often hidden.

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

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