Yukio Mishima Quotes
10 quotes
Yukio Mishima
Japanese author on beauty, death, and the warrior spirit
10 Quotes
Only through destroying myself can I discover the greater power of my spirit
— Confessions of a Mask, Part 3
Martyrdom unmasks for us the existence of evil in the world, and by the light of this revelation our ideals are made bright and clear
— Runaway Horses, Book Two
If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us
— Sun and Steel
True beauty is something that attacks, overpowers, robs, and finally destroys
— The Temple of the Golden Pavilion
What transforms this world is knowledge. Do you see what I mean? Nothing else can change anything in this world. Knowledge alone is capable of transforming the world, while at the same time leaving it exactly as it is
— Spring Snow
A poem is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does
— Sun and Steel
Living itself is the source of sin
— Spring Snow, Chapter 22
The highest point at which human life and art meet lies in the aesthetic of death
— Sun and Steel, Part II
If we value the dignity of life, we must firmly reject the longing for immortality
— The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Chapter 5
Perfect purity is possible if you turn your life into a line of poetry written with a splash of blood
— Runaway Horses