"A man whose profession is the use of arms should think and then act upon not only his fame, but also that of his descendants. He should not scandalise his name forever by holding his one and only life too dear."

"Sheltering cherry; my last breath stirs your blossom; my soul ascends. Meh."

"Fish break the surface; and a reflection shatters; momentarily."

"A tree’s skeleton; exposed by autumn season; ready for new life."

"When you decide to attack, keep calm and dash in quickly, forestalling the enemy. Or you can advance seemingly strongly but with a reserved spirit, forestalling him in advance."

"Fourthly, the way of the artisan. The way of the carpenter is to become proficient in the use of his tools, first to lay his plans with true measure and then perform his work according to plan. Thus he passes through life."

"The people of the various provinces are strictly forbidden to have in their possession any swords, short swords, bows, spears, firearms, or other types of arms."

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

"From inside fortifications, the gun has no equal among weapons. It is the supreme weapon on the field before the ranks clash, but once swords are crossed the gun becomes useless."

"Willows slowly stoop; preparing to meet the ground; as autumn arrives."

"When one would make a surprise attack on the enemy, he should avoid the major roads and seek out the lesser ones. Then attack."

"When you cannot be deceived by men you will have realised the wisdom of strategy."

"A doll floats downstream; carrying with it prayers; spring has come at last."

"In strategy your spiritual bearing must not be any different from normal. Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased."

"Raindrops on the lake; a universe of ripples; centre touching all."

"A samurai with no group and no horse is not a samurai at all."

"I grow old and hunch; as gnarled branches turn downwards; returning to roots."

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

"To die by the sword; no finer honour exists; winter’s grip awaits."

"Autumn maple leaves; their colours, like the harvest; remind me of home."

"The spirit of defeating a man is the same for ten million men. The strategist makes small things into big things, like building a great Buddha from a one foot model."

"Give my dream back raven! The moon you woke me to is misted over."

"When a flower is composed, it does not bloom all at once although the spring has come. Otherwise, yesterday's friend will become today's enemy, as yesterday's flower will become today's dust."

"Everything grows cold; stillness like a frozen lake; there will be no thaw."

"As if with the nut and flower, the nut has become less than the flower...both those teaching and those learning are concerned with colouring and showing off their technique, trying to hasten the bloom of the flower."

"There is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all. This person is aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way and never thinks of himself as having finished."

"A cold, low whistle; accompanies my last breath; wind in sympathy."

"Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment."

"It is said that the inferior seek to emulate the superior. Thus, if a general slackens only a little, those beneath him will be greatly negligent."

"The colour of the mountains is Buddha's body; the sound of running water is his great speech."

"Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory."

"The clever hawk hides its claws."

"A general of great merit should be said to be a man who has met with at least one great defeat."

"Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

"A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it."

"The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution."

"Even if one has learned all the sayings of the sages and saints, he should not insist on them obstinately."

"A little piece of gold may be highly valued, but if it gets in one's eye, the result will be darkness."

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."

"Cunning tanuki; he preys upon my humble soul; I have no defence."

"Although I greet death; I do not fear its icy grip; my soul is at peace."

"The stake that sticks out gets hammered down."

"If you do not enter the tiger's cave, you will not catch its cub."

"Dishonour is like a scar on a tree, which time, instead of effacing, only helps to enlarge."

"The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground."

"Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else."

"The expert in battle seeks his victory from strategic advantage and does not demand it from his men."

"If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will not be imperilled by a hundred battles. If you do not know the others but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one. If you do not know the enemy and do not know yourselves you will be in danger in every battle."

"The dark tiger stalks; my soul quivers in the air; just for a moment."