Miyamoto Musashi was a terrifying man. Let’s just start there. He wasn't some philosopher-monk sitting under a cherry blossom tree dreaming up "live, laugh, love" mantras. He was a duelist who killed his first opponent at thirteen and survived over sixty life-or-death fights without a scratch. When you read book of five rings quotes, you aren't reading "self-help." You’re reading the survival notes of a guy who didn't lose.
Ever.
His book, Gorin no Sho, wasn't even meant for the public. He wrote it while dying in a cave called Reigandō. He was passing his "Way" to a student named Terao Magonojō. Because of that, the language is blunt. It’s jagged. It feels like a slap in the face because it was written for a world where being wrong meant being dead.
The Core Philosophy: Perception vs. Sight
Musashi makes a weirdly specific distinction that most modern readers miss. He talks about "the eye of perception" being stronger than "the eye of sight."
"The eye of perception is strong; the eye of sight is weak."
Basically, he’s saying that if you only look at what's happening right in front of your face—the blade moving, the stock market dipping, the boss yelling—you're already cooked. Sight is just processing light. Perception is understanding the intent behind the movement. In a duel, if you’re looking at the sword, you’re dead. You have to "see" the distance, the rhythm, and the spirit of the guy trying to kill you.
It's about the big picture.
Most people get bogged down in the minutiae of their daily grind. They obsess over the tiny details of a project while the entire company culture is rotting around them. Musashi would tell you to zoom out. He believed that if you know the Way broadly, you see it in everything.
Applying Book of Five Rings Quotes to the Modern "Battlefield"
You see these quotes on LinkedIn all the time, usually next to a picture of a guy in a suit looking at a sunset. It’s kinda cheesy. But if you actually apply the "Water Book" principles to, say, a high-stakes negotiation or a competitive gaming match, it gets interesting.
Musashi says, "Under no circumstances must you be flustered."
Easier said than done when your rent is due and your car just made a weird clunking sound, right? But his point was about "fluidity." He called this section the Water Book because water adapts to the shape of the vessel. If the vessel is a square, the water is a square. If it’s a pipe, the water is a long, thin stream.
🔗 Read more: Finding the Right Word That Starts With AJ for Games and Everyday Writing
"Become like water." (Yeah, Bruce Lee totally swiped this, but Musashi was the OG).
If you are rigid in your thinking, you break. If you have a "plan" and the plan fails, you panic. But if you have a "way," you just flow into the next available opening. This is why some of the most successful hedge fund managers and athletes obsess over these texts. It’s not about the sword; it’s about the mental state of "No-Mind" (Mushin).
The Void and the Truth
The last chapter is the Book of the Void. It's the most "zen" part of the whole thing and, honestly, the hardest to grasp.
"By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist."
That sounds like some Matrix-level nonsense, but think about it in terms of mastery. When you first learn to drive, you’re hyper-aware of everything. The blinker. The brake pressure. The mirror. That’s "existence." But once you’ve driven for twenty years, the car becomes an extension of your body. You aren't "driving" anymore. You’re just moving.
The "Void" is that space where the technique disappears and only the result remains.
Why We Get Musashi Wrong
We like to romanticize the samurai. We think of them as these noble, poetic figures. Musashi was actually kind of a slob. He famously didn't bathe because he didn't want to be caught unarmed in the tub. He showed up late to duels on purpose just to piss people off and make them sloppy.
When he says, "Do nothing which is of no use," he’s being literal.
He didn't care about looking cool. He didn't care about "honor" in the way we see it in movies. He cared about winning. This "utility-first" mindset is why book of five rings quotes feel so different from other stoic or philosophical texts. Marcus Aurelius wants you to be a good person. Musashi just wants you to be effective.
There's a famous story about his duel with Sasaki Kojirō on Ganryūjima Island. Kojirō had a famous longsword called "The Drying Pole." Musashi showed up late, carved a giant wooden sword out of a spare boat oar while he was being rowed to the island, and then whacked Kojirō in the head with it.
💡 You might also like: Is there actually a legal age to stay home alone? What parents need to know
He didn't use a "proper" sword. He used what worked.
The Strategy of the Long and the Short
One of the most practical takeaways from the text is his stance on weaponry. He hated the idea of being a "specialist." He thought that if you only like long swords, you’re vulnerable in a hallway. If you only like short swords, you’re dead in a field.
"You should not have a favorite weapon."
In 2026, this translates perfectly to your skillset. If you are "the Google Sheets guy" and nothing else, you're a specialist in a world that’s moving toward generalists. Musashi’s whole vibe was about being "versatile." He pioneered the Niten Ichi-ryū style—using two swords at once—simply because he thought it was a waste to have a hand doing nothing.
Why use one hand when you have two? Why use one skill when you can use three?
The Nine Rules of the Way
Musashi actually laid out a specific list of "ground rules" for someone who wants to follow his strategy. They aren't poetic. They’re like a software manual for your brain:
- Do not think dishonestly.
- The Way is in training.
- Become acquainted with every art.
- Know the Ways of all professions.
- Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters.
- Develop intuitive judgement and understanding for everything.
- Perceive those things which cannot be seen.
- Pay attention even to trifles.
- Do nothing which is of no use.
Rule number eight is the one that catches people off guard. "Pay attention even to trifles." It means the small stuff matters. The way you organize your desk, the way you speak to a cashier, the way you tie your shoes. It all bleeds into your "combat." If you’re sloppy in the "trifles," you’ll be sloppy when the stakes are high.
The Misconception of "Winning"
People think Musashi was obsessed with violence. Really, he was obsessed with resolution. He wanted the fight to be over as quickly as possible. He speaks often about "striking the enemy in a single beat."
This is about decisiveness.
Most people suffer from "analysis paralysis." They wait for the perfect moment. They wait for more data. Musashi argues that while you’re waiting, the enemy is moving. There is no "perfect" moment, there is only the moment you take.
📖 Related: The Long Haired Russian Cat Explained: Why the Siberian is Basically a Living Legend
"Timing is everything in strategy."
He breaks timing down into three types: the timing of the strike, the timing of the interval, and the timing of the background. If you can’t get the rhythm of your environment, you’re fighting uphill.
Real-World Action Steps
Reading book of five rings quotes is useless if you just think they’re "deep" and move on. To actually use this stuff, you have to look at your current "battles"—whether that’s a career shift, a fitness goal, or a creative project—through Musashi’s lens.
First, audit your "trifles." Where are you being lazy? Is your "sword" (your primary tool or skill) sharp? If you're a programmer, are you actually good at coding, or are you just good at copy-pasting? If you're a salesperson, do you actually understand the product, or are you just talking?
Second, adopt the "No Favorite Weapon" rule. Identify one skill outside your comfort zone and learn the basics. If you’re a creative, learn a bit of finance. If you’re a data person, learn some public speaking. This prevents you from being "trapped" by your own expertise.
Third, practice "Perception." Next time you’re in a meeting or a tense conversation, stop listening to the words for a second. Look at the "rhythm" of the room. Who is nervous? Who is actually in charge? What is not being said? That’s the "eye of perception."
Musashi died in 1645. We are still talking about him because human nature hasn't changed. We still get scared, we still get distracted by shiny things, and we still lose because we're looking at the wrong part of the sword.
The Way is simple. It just isn't easy.
Start by cutting out one "useless" thing today. Just one. Don't check your phone for the first hour of the day or stop over-explaining your decisions to people who don't matter. That's the beginning of the Way. Use the time you save to sharpen something that actually helps you win. No-Mind isn't about thinking of nothing; it’s about having nothing in your way.
Focus on the rhythm. Move with the water. Stop caring about looking like a samurai and start acting like a winner. That is the only tribute Musashi would have actually respected.