Quotes by Sei Shōnagon

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

Pleasing things: finding a large number of tales that one has not read before. Or acquiring the second volume of a tale whose first volume one has enjoyed. But often it is a disappointment.

I do wish men, when theyre taking their leave from a lady at dawn, wouldnt insist on adjusting their clothes to a nicety, or fussily tying their lacquered cap securely into place. After all, who would laugh at a man or criticize him if they happened to catch sight of him on his way home from an assignation in fearful disarray, with his cloak or hunting costume all awry?

8. The Cat Who Lived in the PalaceThe cat who lived in the Palace had been awarded the head-dress of nobility and was called Lady Myobu.

A palm-leaf carriage should move slowly, or else it loses its dignity.

27. TreesI shall say absolutely nothing about the spindle tree.