Ihara Saikaku

"In life it is training rather than birth which counts."

"Heaven says nothing, and the whole earth grows rich beneath its silent rule. Men, too, are touched by heaven's virtue; yet, in their greater part, they are creatures of deceit. They are born, it seems…"

"Men take their misfortunes to heart, and keep them there. A gambler does not talk about his losses; the frequenter of brothels, who finds his favorite engaged by another, pretends to be just as well o…"

"Harshness is for the good of a boy, soft-heartedness will ruin him."

"The first consideration for all, throughout life, is the earning of a living."

"If we live by subhuman means we might as well never have had the good fortune to be born human."

"For each of the four hundred and four bodily ailments celebrated physicians have produced infallible remedies, but the malady which brings the greatest distress to mankind — to even the wisest and cle…"

"Take care! Kingdoms are destroyed by bandits, houses by rats, and widows by suitors."