Shachimin

“It is a great error to be superior to others....It is such pride as this that makes a man appear a fool, makes him abused by others, and invites disaster. A man who is truly versed in any art will of his own accord be clearly aware of his own deficiency; and therefore, his ambition being never satisfied, he ends by never being proud.”
― Yoshida Kenko, Essays in Idleness: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenkō

“He never went out without a book under his arm, and he often came back with two.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

“If you must take care that your opinions do not differ in the least from those of the person with whom you are talking, you might just as well be alone.”
― Yoshida Kenko, Essays in Idleness: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenkō

“Is there any of the usual social occasions which it is not difficult to avoid? But if you decide that you cannot very well ignore your worldly obligations, and that you will therefore carry them out properly, the demands on your time will multiply, bringing physical hardship and mental tension; in the end, you will spend your whole life pointlessly entangled in petty obligations.
‘The day is ending, the way is long; my life already begins to stumble on its journey.’ The time has come to abandon all ties. I shall not keep promises, nor consider decorum. Let anyone who cannot understand my feelings feel free to call me mad, let him think I am out of my senses, that I am devoid of human warmth. Abuse will not bother me; I shall not listen if praised.”
― Kenko, Essays in Idleness: The Tsurezuregusa of Kenkō