“What you want to acquire, you should dare to acquire by any means. What you want to see, even though it is with difficulty, you should see. You should not let it pass, thinking there will be another chance.”

Original: 得たいものはどんな手段を使ってでも得よ。見たいものは苦労しても見よ。またあるだろうなどと思わずに。 — A practical admonition on seizing fleeting opportunities before they vanish. · Selections from New Flower Picking / writings (Japanese)

• Action
• Desire
• Opportunity

“Haikai values the use of common language yet departing from the common. To depart from the common while still using the common: the method of departure from the common is most difficult.”

Original: 俳諧は俗語を用ひて俗を離るるを尚ぶ。俗を離れて俗を用ゆ。離俗の法最もかたし。 — Buson’s core principle of rizoku captures the paradox of elevating everyday speech into refined art without abandoning the ordinary. · Preface to Shōha’s Haiku Collection (Shundei kushū), 1777 (Japanese)

• Art
• Language
• Poetry