Yukio Mishima
1925 - 1970
5
Quotes
Biography
Yukio Mishima was a Japanese author, playwright, and controversial nationalist figure. Born in 1925 in Tokyo, Mishima's works often explored themes of sexuality, death, and the clash between traditional Japanese values and Western influences. He gained international recognition for his novels such as 'The Temple of the Golden Pavilion' and 'Confessions of a Mask'. Mishima also founded his own private army and in 1970, in a dramatic and ultimately tragic act, he committed seppuku (ritual suicide) after a failed coup attempt.
Famous Quotes (5)
1
We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth.
2
A man is born in a certain country at a certain time. He's fated to live and die. And he does live and die. Meanwhile, people pay lip service to a self they can’t be bothered to discern, to a god they have no desire to understand.
3
The perfect way is only difficult for those who pick and choose. Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference and heaven and earth are set apart; if you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against.
4
Art is the most beautiful deception of all. And although people try to incorporate the everyday events of life in it, we must hope that it will remain a deception lest it become a utilitarian thing, sad as a factory.
5
He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars: general Good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite, and flatterer.