Books Quote by Sei Shonagon

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

Sei Shonagon

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Books Dependable Flesh Life Literature Pleasure Two

More by Sei Shonagon

There is nothing in the whole world so painful as feeling that one is not liked. It always seems to me that people who…

Sei Shonagon

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“ 134. Letters are Commonplace Letters are commonplace enough, yet what splendid things they are! When someone is in a distant province and one is worried about him, and then a letter suddenly arrives, one feels as though one were seeing him face to face. Again, it is a great comfort to have expressed one's feelings in a letter even…

Sei Shonagon

“If writing did not exist, what terrible depressions we should suffer from.”

Sei Shōnagon

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“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…

Sei Shōnagon

“Equally disagreeable is the man who, when leaving in the middle of the night, takes care to fasten the cord of his headdress. This is quite unnecessary; he could perfectly well put it gently on his head without tying the cord. And why must he spend time adjusting his cloak or hunting costume? Does he really think that someone may…

Sei Shōnagon

A man who has nothing in particular to recommend him discusses all sorts of subjects at random as if he knew everything.

Sei Shonagon

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“ In spring it is the dawn that is most beautiful. As the light creeps over the hills, their outlines are dyed a faint red and wisps of purplish cloud trail over them. In summer the nights. Not only when the moon shines, but on dark nights too, as the fireflies flit to and fro, and even when it rains,…

Sei Shônagon

“ 64. Surprising and Distressing Things While one is cleaning a decorative comb, something catches in the teeth and the comb breaks. A carriage overturns. One would have imagined that such a solid, bulky object would remain forever on its wheels. It all seems like a dream -- astonishing and senseless. A child or grown-up blurts out something that is…

Sei Shonagon