Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes
The basic meaning of etiquette is to be quick at both the beginning and end and tranquil in the middle.
Tsunetomo, Yamamoto. Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai. Translated by William Scott Wilson, Kodansha International, 1979, p. 64.
There was a social custom amongst the wealthy women of early American society where if they were moving to a new town, they would present their cards to the established female residents, who would then visit the newcomer at her home. Dolley Madison, anxious to bring some social civilization to Washington, still a rough swamp area, went out of her way to visit all comers and the Cabinet (Department) wives then did the same. However, as the government and Washington grew, this became more and more difficult, and subsequent first ladies wanted more of their privacy and time devoted to family. As America grew in importance, more counties sent ambassadors to Washington, and their wives all expected to be visited and invited. See {620648} for more on the “obligations” of a first lady and cabinet wives.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910
His interviewer had asked him what he, as a cultural critic and a political essayist, thought of Donald Trump’s campaigning style.
Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Buddhist monastic name Yamamoto Jōchō (June 11, 1659 – November 30, 1719), was a samurai of the Saga Domain in Hizen Province under his lord Nabeshima Mitsushige. He became a Zen Buddhist priest and relayed his experiences, memories, lessons, ideas, and aphorisms to the samurai Tashiro Tsuramoto , who compiled them under the title Hagakure.
