I would rather die going to the west than live by returning to the east.
寧可就西而死、豈帰東而生
Explorers
Xuanzang
Born in 602 CE during the Sui dynasty, Xuanzang was a Tang dynasty Buddhist monk, scholar, translator, and explorer. In 627 he defied an imperial travel ban to embark on a 17-year journey to India, traversing Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. He returned with 657 Buddhist texts, authored the 'Great Tang Records on the Western Regions,' and translated 75 works into Chinese. His journey inspired the classic novel 'Journey to the West' and remains one of history's greatest individual intellectual enterprises.
View this figure's profile
Xuanzang's Other Quotes
Related Quotes
Those lacking the spirit of independence inevitably depend on others, and those who depend on others inevitably fear them.
-- Fukuzawa Yukichi
This war was begun unavoidably in self-defense, and Japan, united under the unbroken imperial line, is resolved to fight to the last man.
-- Takahashi Korekiyo
Fortune lies in heaven. Armor lies in the heart. Achievement lies in the legs.
-- Uesugi Kenshin
The greatest warrior in Japan.
-- Sanada Yukimura
In war, a victory of sixty percent is the best. Total victory breeds complacency.
-- Takeda Shingen
To achieve the objective, do not be choosy about methods.
-- Ōkubo Toshimichi