Verified Quotes
Every quote on this page is verified against the named source work.
Miyamoto Musashi, Undefeated Japanese swordsman who fought over sixty duels, refused every school and master, and wrote his, gets quoted everywhere and sourced almost nowhere. The 17 quotes below are different: each one is checked word for word against the cited work, starting with The Book of Five Rings, not copied from aggregator sites that pass misattributions along. The source is named under every line, so you can trace each quote back to the page it came from.
Read Miyamoto Musashi's full profile and how they reason →9 verified quotes
On cutting unnecessary busywork:
Do nothing that is of no use.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
On measuring progress against who you were:
Today is victory over yourself of yesterday.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
On reading a situation beyond what is said:
Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
On mastering one skill deeply:
From one thing, know ten thousand things.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
On knowing when to make a move:
There is timing in everything.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
On applying discipline learned in one part of life to another:
If you know the Way broadly you will see it in everything.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
Weighing an unconventional route to a goal against the standard one:
You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
Deciding whether to break from what is expected of you:
Do not act following customary beliefs.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
Deciding how much to rely on faith versus your own effort:
Respect Buddha and the gods without depending on their help.Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
8 verified quotes
On accepting a loss you cannot undo:
Accept everything just the way it is.Miyamoto Musashi, Dokkodo
On living with a hard decision after the fact:
Do not regret what you have done.Miyamoto Musashi, Dokkodo
On staying humble after success:
Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.Miyamoto Musashi, Dokkodo
On a friendship or relationship ending:
Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.Miyamoto Musashi, Dokkodo
Deciding whether infatuation is clouding a big relationship choice:
Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.Miyamoto Musashi, Dokkodo
Waiting for a clearer state of mind before deciding:
Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.Miyamoto Musashi, Dokkodo
Weighing a tempting shortcut against a harder, sounder path:
Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.Miyamoto Musashi, Dokkodo
Deciding whether to relocate for an opportunity:
Be indifferent to where you live.Miyamoto Musashi, Dokkodo