--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Musashi wondered how many people there…" description: "\"“Musashi wondered how many people there were who on this night could say: “I was right. I did what I should have done. I have no regrets.” For him, eac..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/eiji-yoshikawa-7381_last-year_musashi-wondered-how-many-people-there-w_674514.jpg" --- # Musashi wondered how many people there were who on this… ![“Musashi wondered how many people there were who on this night could say: “I was right. I did what I should have done. I have no regrets.” For him, each resounding knell evoked a tremor of remorse. He could conjure up nothing but the things he had done wrong during the last year. Nor was it only…” quote by Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/eiji-yoshikawa-7381_last-year_musashi-wondered-how-many-people-there-w_674514.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/eiji-yoshikawa-7381_last-year_musashi-wondered-how-many-people-there-w_674514.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/304/eiji-yoshikawa-7381_last-year_musashi-wondered-how-many-people-there-w_674514.jpg) > ““Musashi wondered how many people there were who on this night could say: “I was right. I did what I should have done. I have no regrets.” For him, each resounding knell evoked a tremor of remorse. He could conjure up nothing but the things he had done wrong during the last year. Nor was it only the last year—the year before, and the year before that, all the years that had gone by had brought regrets. There had not been a single year devoid of them. Indeed, there had hardly been one day.”” [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A warrior reflects on a lifetime of regrets, realizing that every year brings some remorse and no day is free of it. **In simple terms:** Regret is constant throughout life. Key Takeaway Accept past mistakes and focus on present actions. Themes regret reflection impermanence Mood melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal growth - career reflection - relationship evaluation Key Concepts existential self‑assessment Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn regret into constructive change? - What does a regret‑free day look like for you? A Different Perspective Self‑reflection can lead to paralysis if not balanced with action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brought Regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brought-regrets-5347942/) [Did Regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-regrets-560583/) [Last year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-year/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Regrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regrets/) [Regrets Resounding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regrets-resounding-5347941/) [Remorse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remorse/) ## Related quotes > [I did have regrets these past six months,” he told me quietly. “I found it a curse as much as a blessing, all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/i-did-have-regrets-these-past-six-months-he-told-me-quietly-i-found/) [Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/) > [If I come back and I lose, at least I know I did everything I should have done, I have no regrets, I'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-st-pierre/if-i-come-back-and-i-lose-at-least-i-know-i-did-everything-i-should/) [Georges St-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-st-pierre/) > [We can't negate television. Unfortunately, I do feel in many ways that it did kill my movie career. It did do that. But would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jones/we-can-t-negate-television-unfortunately-i-do-feel-in-many-ways-that/) [Shirley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jones/) > [There's a lot of regrets about last year - maybe turning up was the biggest regret about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sugar/there-s-a-lot-of-regrets-about-last-year-maybe-turning-up-was-the/) [Alan Sugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sugar/) > [Not to be cowardly when it comes to our own actions! Not to leave them in the lurch!--The sting of conscience is indecent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/not-to-be-cowardly-when-it-comes-to-our-own-actions-not-to-leave-them/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I have come to think that life is a far more limited thing than those in the midst of its maelstorm realize. That light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-have-come-to-think-that-life-is-a-far-more-limited-thing-than-those/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [It is only because man believes himself to be free, not because he is free, that he experiences remorse and pricks of conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-only-because-man-believes-himself-to-be-free-not-because-he-is/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“His pen spoke more to her than he ever did”. In the war of words, some are unwritten and some are unspoken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishikant/his-pen-spoke-more-to-her-than-he-ever-did-in-the-war-of-words-some/) [Nishikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishikant/) > [“Memory in the mind of man can adapt to the worst conditions. I'll give you an example, an analogy of sorts: Each night I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-thurber/memory-in-the-mind-of-man-can-adapt-to-the-worst-conditions-i-ll-give/) [Bob Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-thurber/) > [Cheating is like eating fast food. You do it, you enjoy it, and then you end up feeling like shit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/cheating-is-like-eating-fast-food-you-do-it-you-enjoy-it-and-then-you/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [The critical question about regret is whether experience led to growth and new learning. Some people seem to keep on making the same mistakes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-catherine-bateson/the-critical-question-about-regret-is-whether-experience-led-to/) [Mary Catherine Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-catherine-bateson/) > [“They needed someone to hate, a tangible focus for their remorse and disappointment, and I’d been elected, the projection of their own inner hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/they-needed-someone-to-hate-a-tangible-focus-for-their-remorse-and/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“My brother trolled recovery and support groups, searching for women with dependency issues, the way I frequented bookstores with the hope of finding a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-o-brien/my-brother-trolled-recovery-and-support-groups-searching-for-women/) [Richard J. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-o-brien/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Eiji Yoshikawa > [“How was Gengo to know, Saigyo reflected, that this unheroic existence imposed even greater torment than the icy lashings of the Nachi Falls in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/how-was-gengo-to-know-saigyo-reflected-that-this-unheroic-existence/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [The world is a stone wall ... and they have put the stones so close together that there is not a single crack through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/the-world-is-a-stone-wall-and-they-have-put-the-stones-so-close/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [“He used to say that a true rōnin did not seek fame or profit, did not curry favor with the powerful, did not attempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/he-used-to-say-that-a-true-r-nin-did-not-seek-fame-or-profit-did-not/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [“A wanderer with no ideal, no sense of gratitude for his independence, is no more than a beggar! 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As it was, swordsmen fought with only one sword, and often one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/people-were-born-with-two-hands-why-not-use-both-of-them-as-it-was/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [“If the talents I was born with are the right ones, I may someday achieve my goal. If not, I may go through life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/if-the-talents-i-was-born-with-are-the-right-ones-i-may-someday/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [“kalau agama itu ajaran sehat, kita tak akan membutuhkan nabi-nabi untuk menyampaikannya kepada kita. -Takuan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/kalau-agama-itu-ajaran-sehat-kita-tak-akan-membutuhkan-nabi-nabi/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [“Fighting isn’t all there is to the Art of War. The men who think that way, and are satisfied to have food to eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/fighting-isn-t-all-there-is-to-the-art-of-war-the-men-who-think-that/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [The line between life and death is not thicker than an eyelid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/the-line-between-life-and-death-is-not-thicker-than-an-eyelid/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [“How to make his mother, whom he imagined to be the unhappiest person in the world, the happiest, was what drove him on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/how-to-make-his-mother-whom-he-imagined-to-be-the-unhappiest-person/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [“Whether people were great or not, there was not much variety in their inner life experience. Any difference lay merely in how they dealt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/whether-people-were-great-or-not-there-was-not-much-variety-in-their/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [I wouldn't say Musashi is ordinary. But he is. That's what's extraordinary about him. He is not content to rely on whatever natural gifts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/i-wouldn-t-say-musashi-is-ordinary-but-he-is-that-s-what-s/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [The greatest happiness of life was to stand at the difficult border between success and failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/the-greatest-happiness-of-life-was-to-stand-at-the-difficult-border/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) [Explore all 80 Eiji Yoshikawa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) ## More Last year quotes > [I'd be very controversial if I said why, and I don't do controversial anymore. That's too passé. So last year. Being controversial is boring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/i-d-be-very-controversial-if-i-said-why-and-i-don-t-do-controversial/) [M.I.A](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-i-a/) > [There were times last year when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-martinez/there-were-times-last-year-when-people-looked-at-the-scoreboard-and/) [Buck Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-martinez/) > [I never really look at it past one year. I look at last year and my whole goal is to be a better player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-williams/i-never-really-look-at-it-past-one-year-i-look-at-last-year-and-my/) [Trent Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-williams/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [So, in the last year, the whole cast sued for release from our contracts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-rettig/so-in-the-last-year-the-whole-cast-sued-for-release-from-our-contracts/) [Tommy Rettig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-rettig/) > [ \[Fighting for equality for women\] that's what my mission has been for the last years. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/fighting-for-equality-for-women-that-s-what-my-mission-has-been-for/) [Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/) > [We have reached the point where we can lose a game or two and not drop out of sight in the rankings. I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lavell-edwards/we-have-reached-the-point-where-we-can-lose-a-game-or-two-and-not/) [LaVell Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lavell-edwards/) > [Well, as you know, General Motors does not make hybrids. Ford only made 4,000 hybrids last year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-markey/well-as-you-know-general-motors-does-not-make-hybrids-ford-only-made/) [Ed Markey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-markey/) > [“The arbutus is now open everywhere in the woods and groves. How pleasant it is to meet the same flowers year after year! If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fenimore-cooper/the-arbutus-is-now-open-everywhere-in-the-woods-and-groves-how/) [Susan Fenimore Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fenimore-cooper/) > [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The terrorists who committed the 2003 Istanbul attacks were locals, that is, Turks. And when filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered in the Netherlands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-schily/the-terrorists-who-committed-the-2003-istanbul-attacks-were-locals/) [Otto Schily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-schily/) > [“Leonardo believed his research had the potential to convert millions to a more spiritual life. Last year he categorically proved the existence of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/leonardo-believed-his-research-had-the-potential-to-convert-millions/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [As our initial click fraud research study showed last year, there is an obvious problem in the online advertising world. The challenge is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flint-mcglaughlin/as-our-initial-click-fraud-research-study-showed-last-year-there-is/) [Flint McGlaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flint-mcglaughlin/) > [From '86 until the summer of last year, wherever I went, people would say, You would have made a great James Bond! Weren't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/from-86-until-the-summer-of-last-year-wherever-i-went-people-would/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [With the absence of a flu vaccination last year, I did not take a flu shot; but there is still some immunity that carries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-the-absence-of-a-flu-vaccination-last-year-i-did-not-take-a-flu/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,393 Last year quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-year/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Musashi wondered how many people there were who on this night could say: “I was right. I did what I should have done. I have no regrets.” For him, each resounding knell evoked a tremor of remorse. He could conjure up nothing but the things he had done wrong during the last year. 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