The Japanese Mind Quotes

“Aware is thus connected to feelings of regret for things losing their beauty, and paradoxically finding beauty in their opposite.”
― Roger J. Davies, The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture

“In Japan, however, if you against someone and create a bad atmosphere, your relations may break-off completely. People tend to react emotionally, and most are afraid of being excluded from the group.”
― Roger J. Davies, The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture

“In order to live without creating any serious problems for the group's harmony, people avoid expressing their ideas clearly, even the point of avoiding giving a simple yes or no answer. If a person really wanted to say no, he or she said nothing at first, then used vague expressions that conveyed the nuance of disagreement.”
― Roger J. Davies, The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture

“To express oneself distinctly carries the assumption that one’s partner knows nothing, so clear expression can be considered impolite. (Morimoto, 1988, p. 22)”
― Roger J. Davies, The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture