When I consider the state of things in our fief, I find that those who hold positions and receive official stipends are incapable of the utmost in loyalty and patriotic service. Loyalty of the usual sort-perhaps, but if it is true loyalty and service you seek, then you must abandon this fief and plan a grass-roots uprising.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author claims that officials who receive salaries are not truly loyal, suggesting a grassroots uprising is needed for genuine patriotism.
- In plain terms
- Paid officials lack true loyalty; a bottom‑up revolt is required.
- What can you take from it?
- True loyalty may require rejecting established institutions.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is rebellion justified?
- What non‑violent alternatives exist?
Another view
Violent uprising can cause instability and harm.
More from Yoshida Shoin
If the body dies, it does no harm to the mind, but if the mind dies, one can no longer act as a man even though the body survives.
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