"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought."
"When composing a verse let there not be a hair's breath separating your mind from what you write; composition of a poem must be done in an instant, like a woodcutter felling a huge tree or a swordsman leaping at a dangerous enemy."
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Source: Matsuo Basho (1985). “On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho”, p.55, Penguin UK
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