Beings Master Quote by Sōseki Natsume
““A stomach can resite itself in a pulmonary location; Coxinga can be blood-kin to the Seiwa Minamotos; and that Mr. Tami, much maligned, may well be unreliable. But as soon as those naked objects emerge from their bathhouse into the normal world, they garb themselves in obedience to the requirements of civilization and, once robed, they resume the nature and behavior patterns of human beings. My master stands on the threshold between two worlds. Standing as he does between the bathroom and the changing room, he is poised at the verge of his return to worldliness, to the sad mundanities of man, to the suavities of compromise, the specious words, and the accommodating practices of his species in society. If, on the verge of returning to that world, he yet maintains so brute an obstinacy, surely his mokelike stubbornness must be a deep-rooted disease; a disease, indeed, so very firmly rooted as to be virtually ineradicable.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Kokoro by Natsume Sōseki, 1914
The passage describes a character caught between spiritual transcendence and mundane society, whose stubbornness is seen as an ingrained flaw that resists change.
In simple terms: A person stuck between higher ideals and everyday life, stubbornly refusing to adapt.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when stubbornness hinders growth.
Themes
identity
conflict
society
spirituality
stubbornness
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
literary
philosophical
psychological
When to use this quote
- rituals
- personal transformation
- social integration
- career decisions
Key Concepts
existentialism
cultural tension
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- What aspects of your life feel like a threshold between worlds?
- How does stubbornness protect or limit you?
A Different Perspective
His obstinacy may be a symptom of deeper existential anxiety, not merely a character flaw.
