“This—all this—was in the olden
Time long ago.”

Go Rin No Sho (1645), The Wind Book
Context: It is difficult for these people to cut the enemy when at close quarters because of the length of the long sword. The blade path is large so the long sword is an encumbrance, and they are at a disadvantage compared to the man armed with a short companion sword.
From olden times it has been said: "Great and small go together." So do not unconditionally dislike extra-long swords. What I dislike is the inclination towards the long sword. If we consider large-scale strategy, we can think of large forces in terms of long swords, and small forces as short swords. Cannot few men give battle against many? There are many instances of few men overcoming many.

I. H. Bromley, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).

Source: Mistral's Kiss

Little House in the Big Woods (1932), Ch. 13

Near the Lake, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).

Source: The Neverending Story

Song lyrics, American Pie (1971), American Pie
Context: A long long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The Day the Music Died.

My love goes with you.
Reality...What a Concept (1979)

Statement of January 1991, as quoted in Of Permanent Value: The Story of Warren Buffett (2007) by Andrew Kilpatrick