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The Pillow Book

Sei Shōnagon

Top 10 Best Quotes

“In life there are two things which are dependable. The pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of literature.”

“Pleasing things: finding a large number of tales that one has not read before. Or acquiring the second volume of a tale whose first volume one has enjoyed. But often it is a disappointment.”

“To wash your hair, apply your makeup and put on clothes that are well-scented with incense. Even if you’re somewhere where no one special will see you, you still feel a heady sense of pleasure inside.”

“185. It Is Getting So Dark I am the sort of person who approves of what others abhor and detests the things they like.”

“How ever did I pass the time before I knew you? I think of that past time as now I pass each passing day in lonely sorrow, lacking you.”

“71. Rare Things-- A son-in-law who's praised by his wife's father. Likewise, a wife who's loved by her mother-in-law. A pair of silver tweezers that can actually pull out hairs properly. A retainer who doesn't speak ill of his master. A person who is without a single quirk. Someone who's superior in both appearance and character, and who's remained utterly blameless throughout his long dealings with the world. You never find an instance of two people living together who continue to be overawed by each other's excellence and always treat each other with scrupulous care and respect, so such a relationship is obviously a great rarity. Copying out a tale or a volume of poems without smearing any ink on the book you're copying from. If you're copying it from some beautiful bound book, you try to take immense care, but somehow you always manage to get ink on it. Two women, let alone a man and a woman, who vow themselves to each other forever, and actually manage to remain on good terms to the end.”

“Someone who butts in when you're talking and smugly provides the ending herself. Indeed anyone who butts in, be they child or adult, is most infuriating.”

“Sometimes a person who is utterly devoid of charm will try to create a good impression by using very elegant language; yet he only succeeds in being ridiculous.”

“27. Trees I shall say absolutely nothing about the spindle tree.”

“After all, the cherry blossom blooms every year, but does anyone find it the less lovely for that?”

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Book Keywords:

trees, nonconformity, reading, brilliant-women, enjoyment, stories, spindle-tree, life, language, tree, literature, books, conformity, pleasure, body

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