Quotes from James Clavell

Patience means holding back your inclination to the seven emotions: hate, adoration, joy, anxiety, anger, grief, fear. If you don't give way to the seven, you're patient, then you'll soon understand all manner of things and be in harmony with Eternity.

I can't use hope against swords.

Lust is pressing, something must be done about it.

If the Truth is already clear, what is the use of meditation?' Ã¢â'¬Â " Ã¢â'¬ËœAnd if the Truth is hidden?' Ã¢â'¬Â Toranaga said. " Ã¢â'¬ËœIt's already clear,' Ã¢â'¬Â Hiro-matsu answered correctly. The quotation was from the ancient Tantric Buddhist teacher, Saraha.

The meeting of the Council after the gai-jin had departed, for once, had been happy and filled with laughter at the enemy's loss of face

that to think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral you down into ever-increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort.

an able man has many burdens. As I'm abler than most I have to sweat more than most.

A wise man prepares for treachery.

Kogo, the goshawk, fluttered on his wrist and settled herself, watching him. Toranaga smiled at her. I did not choose to be what I am. It is my karma.

All gods bear witness! The Jade Gate and the One-Eyed Monk are truly yin and yang, truly everlasting, truly godlike, both insatiable however much one consumes the other.

did. But he was glad her head was deep in his shoulder greatcoat. Again he craned around and caught sight of it, slightly aft and lying flat in the water, now seeming to

all the people have a right to vote, and no single man ever controls the destiny of any nation, either by divine right or by right of stupid votes of a stupid electorate.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring Tomorrow is in the hands of God Tomorrow will be a lovely day.

You live by the lash and you'll die by it.

Let's compete freely. Goddam tariffs! Free trade and free seas—that's what's right!

But if I am to go, I am to go, and there's the end of it. Karma. She turned her mind off the inevitable to the immediate problem

Why is it there is always such violence between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? Doesn't daughter-in-law, in time, become mother-in-law? Why does she then always treat her own daughter-in-law to a lashing tongue and make her life a misery, and why does that girl do the same in her turn? Doesn't anyone learn?

Nothing is of more importance to the state than the quality of its spies. It is ten thousand times cheaper to pay the best spies lavishly than even a tiny army poorly.

A samurai dies with dignity. For what is life to a samurai? Nothing at all. All life is suffering, neh ?

kith or kin lust for power as others do.

All comes to him who waits—and works.

three big islands, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu? And thousands of little ones. There's another island far to the north—some say it's the mainland—called Hokkaido, but only hairy natives

Like every serious student, follow the most important law for all students: repay your teacher by making it your duty to surpass him!

Yesterday, because of Mrs. Struan's letter to him, he had been confronted with an immortal truth: however loyal you are to a company, however much service you give "the company," the company can and will spit you out at its whim, without conscience.