---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sabi is the color of haikai. It is…"
description: "\"Sabi is the color of haikai. It is different from tranquility. For example, if an old man dresses up in armor and helmet and goes to the battlefield, o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/matsuo-basho-7207_armor_sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-differ_774447.jpg"
---

#  Sabi is the color of haikai. It is different from…

![“Sabi is the color of haikai. It is different from tranquility. For example, if an old man dresses up in armor and helmet and goes to the battlefield, or in colorful brocade kimono, attending (his lord) at a banquet, &#91;sabi&#93; is like this old figure.” quote by Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/matsuo-basho-7207_armor_sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-differ_774447.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/matsuo-basho-7207_armor_sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-differ_774447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/matsuo-basho-7207_armor_sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-differ_774447.jpg)

> “Sabi is the color of haikai. It is different from tranquility. For example, if an old man dresses up in armor and helmet and goes to the battlefield, or in colorful brocade kimono, attending (his lord) at a banquet, \[sabi\] is like this old figure.”

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Sabi reflects the beauty of aging and imperfection, a quiet dignity that differs from calm tranquility, embodied by an old warrior’s worn armor.

**In simple terms:** Sabi is the quiet beauty of aging and imperfection.

Key Takeaway

Embrace imperfection and find dignity in wear.

Themes

aesthetic impermanence humility tradition

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- elderly care
- artistic creation
- personal reflection
- design

Key Concepts

wabi‑sabi Japanese aesthetics philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you honor the worn parts of yourself?
- What does quiet dignity look like in daily life?

A Different Perspective

Sabi may be misunderstood as melancholy rather than appreciation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Armor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armor/) [Banquet Sabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banquet-sabi-5979397/) [Banquets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banquets/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Color Haikai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color-haikai-5979394/) [Colorful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colorful/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Dresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dresses/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Haikai Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haikai-different-5979395/) [Helmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helmet/) [Kimonos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kimonos/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Sabi Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabi-color-5979393/) [Sabi Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabi-like-5979396/) [Tranquility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquility/)

## Related quotes

> [It's more than just a dress; it's a spirit. The wrap dress was an interesting cultural phenomenon, and one that has lasted 30 years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/it-s-more-than-just-a-dress-it-s-a-spirit-the-wrap-dress-was-an/)

[Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/)

> [The road was frozen. The village lay quiet under the cold sky. Komako hitched up the skirt of her kimono and tucked it into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasunari-kawabata/the-road-was-frozen-the-village-lay-quiet-under-the-cold-sky-komako/)

[Yasunari Kawabata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasunari-kawabata/)

> [A novelist can’t be without a kimono and pen!(Shigure)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuki-takaya/a-novelist-can-t-be-without-a-kimono-and-pen-shigure/)

[Natsuki Takaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuki-takaya/)

> [He had never looked forward to the wisdom and other vaunted benefits of old age. Would he be able to die young—and if possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/he-had-never-looked-forward-to-the-wisdom-and-other-vaunted-benefits/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [But what I could see out of the corner of my eye made me think of two lovely bundles of silk floating along a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/but-what-i-could-see-out-of-the-corner-of-my-eye-made-me-think-of-two/)

[Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/)

> [I've been wearing kimono for several years, and armor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroyuki-sanada/i-ve-been-wearing-kimono-for-several-years-and-armor/)

[Hiroyuki Sanada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroyuki-sanada/)

> [The Red Kimono tells it all—the bitterness and pain as well as the joy, pride and patriotism of a people too resilient to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-dallas/the-red-kimono-tells-it-all-the-bitterness-and-pain-as-well-as-the/)

[Sandra Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-dallas/)

> [“From where he lay on his tatami mat, he could see her in profile. Her dark hair was down, spilling around her tiny shoulders,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hagberg/from-where-he-lay-on-his-tatami-mat-he-could-see-her-in-profile-her/)

[David Hagberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hagberg/)

> [I think the silhouette of the kimono costume will become engraved in people's minds. I do think there'll be lots of red accents in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-atwood/i-think-the-silhouette-of-the-kimono-costume-will-become-engraved-in/)

[Colleen Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-atwood/)

> [Some of the kimonos took as long as four to five months to make, with all the layers that go into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-atwood/some-of-the-kimonos-took-as-long-as-four-to-five-months-to-make-with/)

[Colleen Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-atwood/)

> [She was sitting cross-legged on her bed in her white kimono, writing in a notebook with an ink pen she dipped in a bottle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/she-was-sitting-cross-legged-on-her-bed-in-her-white-kimono-writing/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [Women who wear kimonos, when the fight, they have to keep their knees together, and when they use a sword, they have to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-liu/women-who-wear-kimonos-when-the-fight-they-have-to-keep-their-knees/)

[Lucy Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-liu/)

> [I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking. Recording the man shaving at the window opposite and the woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/i-am-a-camera-with-its-shutter-open-quite-passive-recording-not/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [The neck is kind of what's sexy in Japan, so you have to have the kimono a little bit back. It was just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-liu/the-neck-is-kind-of-what-s-sexy-in-japan-so-you-have-to-have-the/)

[Lucy Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-liu/)

> [Even after going to law school, following the footsteps of my father (an accomplished lawyer and judge at the time); I realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-machado/even-after-going-to-law-school-following-the-footsteps-of-my-father/)

[Carlos Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-machado/)

## More by Matsuo Basho

> [Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/go-to-the-pine-if-you-want-to-learn-about-the-pine-or-to-the-bamboo/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Without the bitterest cold that penetrates to the very bone, how can plum blossoms send forth their fragrance to the whole world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/without-the-bitterest-cold-that-penetrates-to-the-very-bone-how-can/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Do not resemble me-Never be like a musk melon Cut in two identical halves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/do-not-resemble-me-never-be-like-a-musk-melon-cut-in-two-identical/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [When I speak My lips feel cold - The autumn wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/when-i-speak-my-lips-feel-cold-the-autumn-wind/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [“In the end, without skill or talent, I've given myself over entirely to poetry. Po Chu-i labored at it until he nearly burst. Tu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/in-the-end-without-skill-or-talent-i-ve-given-myself-over-entirely-to/)

[Matsuo Bashô](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Nothing in the cry of cicadas suggests they are about to die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/nothing-in-the-cry-of-cicadas-suggests-they-are-about-to-die/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [A flute with no holes is not a flute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/a-flute-with-no-holes-is-not-a-flute/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [The sea darkens And a wild duck s call Is faintly white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/the-sea-darkens-and-a-wild-duck-s-call-is-faintly-white/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/do-not-seek-to-follow-in-the-footsteps-of-the-wise-seek-what-they/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Learn the rules, and then forget them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/learn-the-rules-and-then-forget-them/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Go to the object. Leave your subjective preoccupation with yourself. Do not impose yourself on the object. Become one with the object. Plunge deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/go-to-the-object-leave-your-subjective-preoccupation-with-yourself-do/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [A weathered skeleton in windy fields of memory, piercing like a knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/a-weathered-skeleton-in-windy-fields-of-memory-piercing-like-a-knife/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [the universe and its beings are a complementarity of empty infinity, intimate interrelationships, and total uniqueness of each and every being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/the-universe-and-its-beings-are-a-complementarity-of-empty-infinity/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [The old pond, ah! A frog jumps in: The water's sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/the-old-pond-ah-a-frog-jumps-in-the-water-s-sound/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

> [Without bitterest cold that penetrates to the very bone, how can plum blossoms send forth their fragrance all over the world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/without-bitterest-cold-that-penetrates-to-the-very-bone-how-can-plum/)

[Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

[Explore all 93 Matsuo Basho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/)

## More Armor quotes

> [We will make sure our troops have all that is necessary to complete their missions. That's why I went to the Congress last September…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/we-will-make-sure-our-troops-have-all-that-is-necessary-to-complete/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [“Tonight, I'll strip off all this armor and let it be as it was before..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/tonight-i-ll-strip-off-all-this-armor-and-let-it-be-as-it-was-before/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [In other words,when GOD is finish, he will be a REAL MAN, but a Man of armor.''](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-poet-of-agent-times/in-other-words-when-god-is-finish-he-will-be-a-real-man-but-a-man-of/)

[The Poet Of Agent Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-poet-of-agent-times/)

> [My grandmother had six kids - one died as an infant - and she was dirt-poor, and all her kids got an education. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-alibar/my-grandmother-had-six-kids-one-died-as-an-infant-and-she-was-dirt/)

[Lucy Alibar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-alibar/)

> [It's a question of dropping the armor and getting up and doing the work you want to do. And film at first is frightening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/it-s-a-question-of-dropping-the-armor-and-getting-up-and-doing-the/)

[Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/)

> [She looked at me. "What? Is there something wrong with my idea?" "It's not very heroic," I said dismissively. "I was expecting something with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/she-looked-at-me-what-is-there-something-wrong-with-my-idea-it-s-not/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [In any story, the villain is the catalyst. The hero's not a person who will bend the rules or show the cracks in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/in-any-story-the-villain-is-the-catalyst-the-hero-s-not-a-person-who/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [“It’s our own individual pattern of defenses, rationalizations, paradigms—our ways of responding to anything that threatens our comfort. Unless we’re careful to remain open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-our-own-individual-pattern-of-defenses-rationalizations/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“They can't touch us. We're the Vikings. We go into battle without armor for the flush and the blood of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/they-can-t-touch-us-we-re-the-vikings-we-go-into-battle-without-armor/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [He shone all over. Only Magnus, Simon thought resignedly, would have access to sequined battle armor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/he-shone-all-over-only-magnus-simon-thought-resignedly-would-have/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Wait a while; there will come to you mounts, carrying lions in shining armor, battalions followed by battalions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid-ibn-al-walid/wait-a-while-there-will-come-to-you-mounts-carrying-lions-in-shining/)

[Khalid ibn al-Walid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid-ibn-al-walid/)

> [“The weight of armor and shield will tire even the strongest man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-weight-of-armor-and-shield-will-tire-even-the-strongest-man/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [Is there a wrong way to say "I don't know"? Yes. When we declare ignorance, it should be a) honest and b) in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-hager-cohen/is-there-a-wrong-way-to-say-i-don-t-know-yes-when-we-declare/)

[Leah Hager Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-hager-cohen/)

> [Successful people are able to rise above crises by relaxing no matter what the external situation. Their belief in themselves, the strength of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxwell-maltz/successful-people-are-able-to-rise-above-crises-by-relaxing-no-matter/)

[Maxwell Maltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxwell-maltz/)

> [I put on an act sometimes, and people think I’m insensitive. Really, it’s like a kind of armor because I’m too sensitive. If there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-brando/i-put-on-an-act-sometimes-and-people-think-i-m-insensitive-really-it/)

[Marlon Brando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-brando/)

[Browse all 390 Armor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Sabi is the color of haikai. It is different from tranquility. For example, if an old man dresses up in armor and helmet and goes to the battlefield, or in colorful brocade kimono, attending (his lord) at a banquet, [sabi] is like this old figure.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Matsuo Basho"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-different-from-tranquility-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Armor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-different-from-tranquility-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/matsuo-basho-7207_armor_sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-differ_774447.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/matsuo-basho-7207_armor_sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-differ_774447.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/matsuo-basho-7207_armor_sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-differ_774447.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sabi is the color of haikai. It is different from tranquility. For example, if an old man dresses up in…” — Matsuo Basho",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Matsuo Basho",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Sabi is the color of haikai....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-different-from-tranquility-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/sabi-is-the-color-of-haikai-it-is-different-from-tranquility-for/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
