
“I love to deal with doctrines and events. The contests of men about men I greatly dislike.”
Diary (14 March 1881)
1880s
Go Rin No Sho (1645), The Wind Book
Context: Your strategy is of no account if when called on to fight in a confined space your heart is inclined to the long sword, or if you are in a house armed only with your companion sword. Besides, some men have not the strength of others.
In my doctrine, I dislike preconceived, narrow spirit. You must study this well.
“I love to deal with doctrines and events. The contests of men about men I greatly dislike.”
Diary (14 March 1881)
1880s
“The true Vedantic spirit does not start out with a system of preconceived ideas.”
Life of Vivekananda (1944)
Context: The true Vedantic spirit does not start out with a system of preconceived ideas. It possesses absolute liberty and unrivalled courage among religions with regard to the facts to be observed and the diverse hypotheses it has laid down for their coordination. Never having been hampered by a priestly order, each man has been entirely free to search wherever he pleased for the spiritual explanation of the spectacle of the universe.
Go Rin No Sho (1645), The Wind Book
Context: If you rely on strength, when you hit the enemy's sword you will inevitably hit too hard. If you do this, your own sword will be carried along as a result. Thus the saying, "The strongest hand wins", has no meaning.
In large-scale strategy, if you have a strong army and are relying on strength to win, but the enemy also has a strong army, the battle will be fierce. This is the same for both sides.
Without the correct principle the fight cannot be won.
The spirit of my school is to win through the wisdom of strategy, paying no attention to trifles. Study this well.
“You might as well sell yourself to slavery at once, as marry man you dislike.”
Source: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), Ch. XLI : Hope Springs Eternal in the Human Breast; Helen to Esther
“Moderation is the spirit of castrated narrow-mindedness.”
“Selected Aphorisms from the Athenaeum (1798)”, Dialogue on Poetry and Literary Aphorisms, Ernst Behler and Roman Struc, trans. (Pennsylvania University Press:1968) #64
Athenäum (1798 - 1800)
The Quintessence of Nehru (1961) edited by K. T. Narasimhachar, p. 120
Go Rin No Sho (1645), The Fire Book
“I know very well that one must fight, for one is often in contradiction to the spirit of the age.”
As quoted in "Rodin freed human spirit" in The Des Moines Register (7 January 2007) http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/ENT01/701070305
21st century